Ace of Spades — on the church bells of Weert
A Dutch city carillonneur playing Motörhead on centuries-old church bells, with an electric guitar backing him up inside the tower. Motörhead's own account replied: 'Here's one we really like.' Lemmy would have bought the man a drink.
Frank Steijns has been the city carillonneur of Weert for over 27 years. Day job: violinist in André Rieu’s Johann Strauss Orchestra. And on 17 July 2021, during the local Torenfestival, he sat down at the baton keyboard of the Sint Martinuskerk carillon, put the sheet music on the stand, and hammered out Ace of Spades over the rooftops of a Limburg town.
Jitse Zonneveld backed him on electric guitar inside the tower. The combination should not work. Bells that were cast to call people to mass, driving one of the most aggressive riffs ever written across an entire town square. It works completely.
The best part came after. Motörhead’s official account shared it with five words: “Here’s one we really like.” Rolling Stone, NME and Classic FM all picked it up. A carillonneur from Weert, approved by the loudest band in history.
We covered Bill Bailey proving any song sounds better in heavy metal. This is the reverse experiment: heavy metal on the least metal instrument in Europe, and the song survives. That is what a perfect riff means. The instrument does not matter.
Listen to this: Motörhead - Ace of Spades