It’s always a treat to have a legend like Phil Campbell at Alcatraz. Best known as Motörhead’s guitarist from the mid-80s until Lemmy’s passing in 2015, and now leading Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, he was in great spirits, catching up with friends and gearing up for a set that’s as much a celebration of Motörhead’s 50th anniversary as it is a party for the fans.

After playing anniversary shows in the UK earlier this year, the festival season brought a flood of requests for them to bring the Motörhead celebration to stages across Europe. This November, they’ll do one final European leg, a proper send-off, as Phil puts it, to honor Lemmy’s legacy. “There are Lemmy celebrations everywhere now, even statues going up for him,” Phil said. “I thought it’d be proper to do a tour like this with my band. It’s important — it’s been such a huge part of my life.”

The setlists are, naturally, built around the hits, but Phil likes to sneak in a few deep or semi-deep cuts when possible. For their own headlining anniversary shows later this year, he promises more treats for the old-school Motörhead faithful. “It’s tricky picking them,” he laughs. “It’s such a big back catalogue — I played on over 16 albums with Motörhead!”

After this final run, it’s back to regular Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons shows, where the occasional Motörhead song will still pop up. Playing with his sons has been a whole different dynamic compared to his Motörhead days. Back then, Lemmy would often bring in a tasty rock ’n’ roll idea, and as the only guitarist, a lot rested on Phil’s shoulders. Now, he has a second guitarist in the band, his own son, and the writing process is more collaborative. “Mostly he comes up with ideas and I put some of my sauce on it,” Phil says with a grin. “It’s a bit more relaxed now.”

The Bastard Sons stick to their hard rock ’n’ roll style, but Phil sometimes feels the itch to slow things down, and that’s where his solo work comes in. Considering he started playing professionally at 12, he’s learned a thing or two about surviving decades in the music business. His advice to his younger self? “Don’t trust your first manager. Get a good lawyer. Watch out for people who want to take advantage. And enjoy yourself while it lasts. Don’t expect to be a rockstar — if you’re meant to be one, it’ll happen. Play and write the music you love, and don’t force it. If it becomes a chore, it won’t work. People can tell when you’re in it for the wrong reasons.”

We couldn’t resist asking about Phil’s “geeky” T-shirt habit — comic books, cult movies, sci-fi prints. Was he secretly a nerd? Turns out… not really. “I just wear them because they fit me and they’re fun. I’ve never even seen Star Wars,” he admits, before adding that he is a fan of Sheldon and The Big Bang Theory.

Before heading off to get ready for the show, Phil wanted to send love to Alcatraz and its crowd, and reminded us to come see them in November for the full experience. When we mentioned last time we saw them in Finland as support for Yngwie Malmsteen — a great but far too short set — he didn’t hold back: “The bastard — and you can quote me on that — he’s allowed to know I said that.” Apparently, Yngwie cut their set by 15 minutes just before they went on. Phil also thought the sound of Yngwie‘s show was painfully loud and “a bit of a mess.”

As we wrapped up, Phil left us with one last gem when we wish him a good show in about an hour: “Yeah, I’ll go take a good shit now and then play a good show for sure.” And with that, the man was off, ready to do exactly that, and the people who were smart enough to go see them on the main stage at Alcatraz Festival can confirm that it was a damn good rock ‘n’ roll show…

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