LEADER OF DOWN 

The brainchild of Grammy nominated former Motörhead guitarist Würzel and bass player Tim Atkinson who after forming the band Leader of Down, busied themselves in a London rehearsal studio writing dozens of tracks in preparation for recording an album. They then recruited drummer, Steve Clarke (Ex Fastway) to join the ranks and continue preparing for the debut album “Cascade into Chaos”. The teeth rattling bass guitar and ear splitting double bass drums really compliment Würzel’s guitar playing”, just one comment on a Motörhead forum site. 

The name Leader of Down came from Würzel mishearing the lyrics to the Status Quo track “Down, Down” Würzel found this extremely funny as he had been singing the wrong words “Down Down, Leader of Down” for over 30 years. 

The band started recording the initial tracks for the debut album which included a reworking of Würzel’s solo release from the 80’s “People say I’m Crazy” (B side of the single “Bess”). These initial sessions also included a track that was always intended for Lemmy to sing on, as Würzel said “ We think it would suit him”. This track eventually became “Paradise turned into Dust” with Lemmy finishing his recording at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles shortly before his own passing,at a very emotional session with Tim Atkinson and Steve Clarke in attendance. 

Although there are several guest vocalists on the album such as Whitfield Crane – Ugly Kid Joe, the line up of Leader of Down is completed by vocalist Matt Baker and guitarist Alex Ward who have slipped seamlessly into the line up. 

Cascade into Chaos is named after a phrase that Würzel and Tim liked during the initial songwriting sessions, it seemed a very obvious choice and was the only title that the two of them ever really discussed. 

After Würzel’s tragic death in 2011 the band continued to finish the album and enlisted the help of some friends to honour the great man. With guest appearances from Lemmy, Phil Campbell (who joined Motörhead on the same day as Würzel in 1984), Fast Eddie Clarke who have also sadly passed away, Whitfield Crane from Ugly Kid Joe who sang on “Born to Raise Hell” with Motörhead during Würzel’s time with the band, Lee Richard ex Godsmack and Richards/Crane, Bruce Foxton from The Jam, and Cliff Evans from Tank. 

The album features 10 blockbusting tracks with titles such as "Serial Killjoy" and "The Killing Rain", all mixed by Motörhead Grammy winning producer Cameron Webb at Maple Studios in California, and was released to rave reviews throughout the world including 10/10 in Powerplay magazine and spent 10 weeks in the German top 30 rock charts. The first single “Paradise turned into Dust” became the second most added track on American Rock Radio in September 2018. 

"Cascade into Chaos" is of course a tribute to Würzel and the other fallen Motörhead heroes but it is also just the beginning for Leader of Down, who after a successful appearance at Hard Rock Hell embarked on a UK tour with Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons in November 2018, followed by a busy schedule in 2019 promoting the album throughout Europe culminating in a German tour supporting Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons. The year ended with a sell out show in Berlin playing with the German band Nitrogods. Leader of Down have a worldwide deal with Los Angeles based label Cleopatra Records and have now recorded and released the follow up to “Cascade into Chaos” entitled “The Screwtape letters”, which was released to rave reviews throughout the world on Cleopatra Records in 2022.

“The Screwtape Letters” was preceded by the first single and accompanying video to the track “Cat’s Eye Night”. The album also features a special guest on one song, in the shape of ex Iron Maiden guitarist Dennis Stratton on the track “Hitman” which reached #2 on the itunes Heavy Rock charts. The album has been described as “A belter of a record” and “Real Rock and Roll in the 21st Century”.

The band are currently working on their 3rd Album which will be released in 2027 on Cleopatra Records with several Tours also being booked. Despite this busy schedule the band have found time to record a track with the one and only Kim McAuliffe of Girlschool which featured on a compilation album released in 2026 and charted in numerous countries across the globe.

As Lemmy once shouted from the stage at Hammersmith Odeon, shortly after Würzel and Phil Campbell joined, “ Well, are we back”?, well we can safely say that Würzel is back, we just wish that he was with us for the ride.