While the hordes of fake tanned youths and lads with bum bags descended upon Glasgow Green and a large contingent of the potential His Lordship crowd were lording it up at Pineda psychobilly festival, a small gathering in Glasgow could have a smug grin on their faces that they were at an insanely epic gig by the aforementioned His Lordship in the small but perfectly formed McChuills venue.
Nicky Stewart was spinning the tunes in the main bar, the bar staff serving drinks to Fontaines DC who had popped in for a pint after their TRNSMT set, meanwhile in the venue, the early birds were enjoying a superb set by Zydell Henry, the Rockytonk troubadour, proving that its always a good idea to get in early for the support. The bequiffed Henry on his acoustic guitars was magnificent with his unique country/rockabilly/rock n roll/blues mix of upbeat liveners, and a couple of ballads for good measure.
A couple of pints later, and vantage point secured stage right, it was time for the headliners. Yet again, promoters Under the Wires have pulled it out of the bag hosting this extraordinary band in McChuills (yes it was Colin and co. that brought The Courettes to the very same venue just the other month). I jokingly assessed that after The Courettes that I didn’t need to see another gig this year. Thankfully I didn’t take my own advice. Missing this gig would have been criminal.
James Walbourne of The Pretenders leads this trio, their slick tailored image in suits and ties belying the underlying baying beasts that were about to be unleashed and loosed upon the sacrificial lambs in the audience awaiting our fate with open arms.
Like the Cramps before them, His Lordship take a mixture of rock n roll classics, warping, distorting, twisting and perverting them into their own savage beasts, making them their own and capturing the sinful souls of the audience in doing so. Mix that with their own incendiary compositions, and it is guaranteed that no-one leaves here with their innocence intact, having witnessed rock n roll debauchery at its finest, and feeling a little dirty and debased. Bad music for bad people…
Opening the set with their recent single and lead track from their EP, All Cranked Up, His Lordship laid out their stall and intentions were set, this was going to be an awe inspiriting performance, lighting a fire in bellies and inciting sedition (OK maybe the last bit was a step to far, but we can but dream…)
There was no let up for one second, it was a lesson in full throttle rock ‘n’ fucking roll from the off. Crunching riffs, thunderous bass and maniacal drumming so in tune with each other it was extraordinary to watch. Its hard to pick any highlights from the set such was the gobsmacking quality of tune after tune they rattled out.
This was the second time in the matter of a couple of months I’ve seen The Way I Walk performed, after Big John singing it with Goodbye Mr MacKenzie last month in Barrowland. Tonight His Lordship owned it though. The band also performed an exquisite version of Sleepwalk in tribute to the late James Caan, I guarantee everyone felt a little butterfly in their stomach, shiver up their spine or tear in their eye..
The Repenter with its slow burn seething air of menace ripped my emotions to shreds, bookended by the high octane energy Buzzkill and the fuck you anthem Joy Boy, the band were in faultless mode. They followed that with a new instrumental, apparently only the second time they’ve played it, Cat Call was off the fucking scale epic.
It felt like they’d only just come on when they left the stage before returning to rip through the Billy ”The Kid” Emerson classic (made famous by Billy Lee Riley and The Little Green Men) Red Hot, owning it and playing it in their own inimitable style, and then they were gone. A cyclone passing through and leaving a scene of devastation in the form of awe struck punters in their wake.
If you ever get a chance to see this band, don’t even think about it. Jump in with both feet, or rue the day forever.