On Friday 21st November, His Lordship took Norwich Arts Centre for a Rock N’ Roll rollercoaster ride!
Before the main event, the crowd were warmed up by Norwich’s own and much loved psychobilly (Psychedelic Rockabilly) band Snakemilk. Snakemilk have developed something of a cult following locally over the past couple of years, and they hit the stage with the same non-conformist attitude we’ve grown to love. They opened their set with “Midnight Radio”; their best known track, heavy on distorted retro riffs and a drum beat that’s so natural to move along to. This was actually the third time this year that we’ve seen Snakemilk, so we already knew just how well they work their audience and how positively the crowd responds to their unique sound. Snakemilk are; Robin Evans (Vocals and Guitar), Jow Eilson (Drums) and Lucy Charlotte (Bass Synth). Snakemilk went on to play “Quiverin’”; another popular track featured on their debut EP, before closing their set with “Hobanana”; an absolute riot of a track which never fails to get a pit going.
Taking the stage next were headliners His Lordship and, from the second they hit the stage we could feel the electricity that His Lordship was projecting with their super catchy rhythm-heavy music. The raucous guitar solos alongside the deep thumping drum beats were a serious mood. Right from the off, we could tell that the crowd was absolutely loving every word, note and second of the set. When the fifth track “Weirdo in the Park” kicked off, it got everyone’s groove going; being a heavy song from start to finish, we couldn’t help ourselves but move our feet along, with a mix of dancing, head banging and swaying being the choice of many others in the room. We’ve got to mention that this was a totally SOLD OUT show being held in a converted former Norwich church (St Swithins). Norwich Arts Centre is in incredibly popular local venue, even being named as Britain’s best small venue by NME in 2014. The former church setting made for powerful acoustics, while the pillars running up the aisles made for an intimate atmosphere wherever we stood in the room.
There was a seriously old-school rock and roll vibe to this show, with there being a swagger to His Lordship’s performance reminiscent of legends like Elvis. The band were giving their all to deliver a show the crowd would remember, and the crowd were well and truly responding. We absolutely loved seeing James Walbourne (Vocals and Guitar) and Dave Page (Bass & Backing Vocals) dancing energetically while playing their instruments; it was clear to see how much the band were enjoying the show too.
The pace of this show was incredibly rapid; we noted that there didn’t seem to be any real pauses between each song, which we must admit made it a little hard for us to keep track of which song was being played! We did count that the band played a total of twenty one songs, which we thought showed real ambition to put on a comprehensive show. His Lordship also played a cover of Jack Scott’s “The Way I Walk” which was exceptionally well received by the audience. After playing “I Live in the City” Walbourne took a moment to stop and thank the crowd, saying “Thank you Norwich for coming out tonight”.
This was our first time seeing or listening to His Lordship and we were left feeling so glad that we came along, as we have now discovered another band that’s going onto our playlists. We absolutely love going into the unknown like this, as it’s very rare we don’t come across a pleasant surprise and discover some brilliant new music.
The band then went on to play “My Brother is an Only Child”, which was interesting to note as it was sang by Kristoffer Sonne (Drummer and Vocals). Sonne and Page swapped instruments for this track, as Page took over for a brief cameo on drums, while Sonne sang and Walbourne provided the accompanying guitar. Sonne also entertained the crowd during his performance with some drum kit acrobatics, just injecting a little bit of good natured humour into the show. The song after was “I Am in Amsterdam” which Walbourne explains to the fans is about a particularly bad “Trip” while being in Amsterdam. Following this was “Gin and Fog” which was extremely popular with the audience, largely down to it featuring an amazing guitar solo.
The next track played was “Buzzkill”, which we thought was on a whole new level! “Buzzkill” was so infectiously energetic and was played loud. The ground was practically bouncing with the momentum of the audience getting lost in the moment and, after what felt like a hard and a little bit sweaty workout, Walbourne fired up the crowd even further, shouting “Norwich is one of the best crowds”! “Cat Call” came next and some in the crowd took it upon themselves to create a cat call of their own, whistling along with the song to the encouragement of the band. We know we’ve said it before, but the music sounded phenomenal in this venue, and the 20th track “All Cranked Up” was sheer bedlam as the crowd cheered and moved with real passion. The set closer was “I Fly Planes Into Hurricanes” which had the room gripped right until the end.
This show at Norwich Arts Centre was the last stop of this tour for His Lordship and, as we’ve mentioned before, this was our first time seeing them or hearing their material. We’re so pleased we joined them on their last show, as the atmosphere and showmanship was impeccable. Norwich Arts Centre was also a great venue for this particular show, as the setting came across as intimate without compromising on acoustics. This venue has also welcomed some great names at earlier stages of their development before, including Nirvana, Muse, Oasis, Coldplay, Kasabian and Manic Street Preachers to name a few. Who knows what’s to come then for both His Lordship and Snakemilk! We really hope to see His Lordship back in Norwich again in the future, and we definitely recommend grabbing a ticket quickly if they do.
