When does a project become a group? There is a difference; James Walburn's latest outfit with the Pretenders cohort, Danish drumming supremo Kristoffer Sonne, can bridge the two. Live, His Lordship is a three-piece duo with Dave Page, a regular live band member who adds bass guitar and drums. The band has built up a fan base over the past few years and tonight's crowd know what to expect and are looking forward to it.
His Lordship started their set with “All Cranked up”, they were already on and we soon joined them. The high-octane performance and intensity is cranked up to 11 and we're off to a flying start. Followed by “Joy Boy” with its falsetto chorus and heavy bass. The band, in suits and boots, fly into “Jackie works for the NHS”, released as a single and more of a love story than a social commentary on health care, sure to be a crowd favourite. “Lonely Saturday Night” is a slower interlude, but it's a real highlight. Link Wray's cover of “Run Chicken Run” is a fitting tribute to the 50s rockabilly guitarist. “The way I walk” is another cover from the same genre, but with a bit more chop than the Jack Scott original and closer to The Cramps version. Another single, “Buzzkill” keeps the energy going and thankfully doesn't live up to the name.
James' Gibson SG shoots notes like a gun that shoots bullets. If The Boss “took his guitar and learned how to make it talk,” then James learned his guitar to talk, walk, study microeconomics, and help lamb time. There are few as good or better, perhaps his father-in-law….
Kris has his moment of the night in the spotlight with lead vocals on “My brother is an only child”. Balancing on the bass drum and swinging the mic above his head, he transforms into a bespectacled albatross flapping his wings as he barks lyrics to an adoring crowd. If none of this makes sense, it shouldn't and that's okay. Another virtuoso guitar rendition of “sleepwalk” before ending the set with a few bangs, “I am in Amsterdam” closes the set.
A quick wipe with a towel and the band is back to cheers and going pure rock 'n' roll with “-ruisin” before the big finale, a cover of Billy “The Kid” Emerson's “Red Hot”. And it was. His Lordship is a tour de force, combining rock and roll with a sneer. They are proud to wear their influences on their suit jacket sleeves and are at the height of their musical powers. I believe a debut album is on the horizon, if it captures half the stage presence you should give it a listen.