It beats a muddy field! Metallica's Kirk Hammett warms up for Glastonbury by visiting star haunt the Chiltern Firehouse



He is getting ready to play in front of thousands of disinterested indie fans at Glastonbury this weekend.

So what better way for Metallica's legendary guitarist to warm up for it than enjoying a lazy night at London celebrity hotspot the Chiltern Firehouse.

The wrinkly rocker seemed in extremely high spirits as he enjoyed a romantic meal with his low-key wife Leni in the English capital.



Who needs Glastonbury? Kirk Hammett visited London's Chiltern Firehouse with his wife on Wednesday

The 51-year-old axe-slinger looked remarkably trim for his age in a leather jacket, black vest jeans and trainers.

However even he would surely admit he was left in the shade by his shapely other half, who looked in fine form in a leopard print dress and knee-high boots.

The jolly musician certainly did not seemed fazed by the furor their appearance at the iconic music festival has caused in the UK as he sauntered down the street.

However that has not stopped the group's outspoken drummer Lars Ulrich taking aim at the critics who have complained about them headlining at the event.

No wonder he's smiling: Kirk had a great view as his wife plodded along in her revealing dress For whom the last orders bell tolls: The pair looked like they had a great time at the celebrity hotspot

He said: 'People have short attention spans in 2014. They like things broken down into easy, digestible sound-bites.

'It’s like, Metallica at Glastonbury, what’s the sound bite? "Here comes the big bad heavy metal band to our precious little festival.”

The 50-year-old whined about a 'tradition with British music journalism, a need to categorise,' insisting no one was surprised when they appeared at similar festivals elsewhere.

Referencing Jay Z’s surprisingly popular turn in 2008, he said: 'Not only did everybody survive when Jay Z showed up a few years ago but they even enjoyed it.

'I see no reason why the same shouldn’t happen when Metallica takes the stage.'

They are certainly not afraid of chilly receptions, for last year they played a show in Antarctica called Freeze 'Em All; becoming the first band ever to play on all seven continents in the process.

