HIS LORDSHIP & SNAKEMILK
Take That at Carrow Road or garage rock ‘n’ roll from His Lordship at the Arts Centre? It’s pretty obvious where Pavlis is gonna end up.
NAC
Maximum rock ‘n’ rollers HIS LORDSHIP have been making waves on the garage rock scene and garnering glowing reviews. Everyone I know who has seen ‘em speaks most highly of the group so expectations are high. Will guitarist/vocalist James (Pretenders/Pogues/Rails) Walbourne and drummer Kristoffer (Chrissie Hynde/Willie Nelson) Sonne - along with touring bassist Dave Page - deliver the goods? Time will tell as first up we have local garage-psychobilly-blues trio SNAKEMILK.
Taking to the stage with faces covered with bandannas - Western baddie stylee -Snakemilk mix shitkicking outlaw country, early electric blues and primitive rock ‘n’ roll, with dashes of psych, motorik and cowpunk thrown in. Robin - looking like an American Civil War general channelling Little Richard - provides howling electric geetar, keening slide resonator and Southern soul testifying vocals. Part Grizzly Adams, part Viking, Jack is on bass synth and lap steel. Jo, sporting the back woodsman look, pounds at the drums. It’s kinda wrong but oh so right. The only (hopefully constructive) criticisms are that a couple of songs could be a touch shorter and a little more variety wouldn’t go amiss but I’ll definitely be looking out for these guys again.
On to the main attraction. HIS LORDSHIP take to the stage to an intro tape of what may be a free jazz take on Reveille and bust into a rollicking I Live In The City. For this and the following All Cranked Up and I’m So Bored With Being Bored, the trio come on like a mash-up of The Sonics and Thunders’ Heartbreakers. Indeed, Walbourne’s moves have a touch of Johnny Thunders about them, albeit filtered through Angus (AC/DC) Young and Only Ones’ Peter Perrett.
Introduced with a call to fuck the Tories, Jackie Works In The NHS is the most melodic song of the set so far, sounding almost New Wave. Elsewhere, whilst always rooted in old school rock ‘n’ roll and garage rock, the sound takes in elements of Mink DeVille, The Shadows and Dr Feelgood. The brooding Pixelated Polly is a definite highlight for me and the backing vox on The Repenter go all 60s girl group. This is a band playing what they want to play and having a fine time doing it.
In general, the audience is, ahem, a touch on the mature side and there’s no wild slam dancing or circle moshes here. There is still an awful lot of enthusiasm, love for the band and non-stop dancing, however, and I suspect there will be a few aching bodies tomorrow. Why there weren’t a few more younger faces in the audience I can’t say but His Lordship put on a show that should satisfy anyone with a liking for loud guitars, pounding drums and thumping bass. Put ‘em on a bill with The Hives, for example, and I think His Lordship might well steal the night.
