ALBUM REVIEW: “Bored Animal” by His Lordship

Today sees the release of the new album “Bored Animal” from His Lordship, who staked their claim to rock ‘n’ roll domination with their self-titled 2024 debut release, a no frills a-bomb of a beast. We caught His Lordship live last year and they are one of the best, most energetic and fun live acts around today. And now the duo are back with “Bored Animal”.

Only formed in 2020, by vocalist/guitarist James Walbourne guitarist with The Pretenders for the last 18 years who “felt a need to play some old rock ‘n’ roll songs in a pub, just to do something,”. “I didn't want it to mean anything, or have to think about a record label. It was purely to go in and get drunk and play loud rock ‘n’ roll.” He recruited fellow Pretenders alumni Kris Sonne and together they started playing shows. The music was a means to an end, to play shows, but as they’ve progressed, His Lordship has developed a momentum of its own.

James and Kris have quite the rock pedigree, having played with the likes of Ray Davies, the Pogues, Son Volt, Jerry Lee Lewis, Linda Thompson, Brett Anderson, Klaus Voorman, Soulsavers, and more.

“Bored Animal” carries on where “His Lordship” finished off in 2024. This is old school rock and roll, packed with energy and infused with generous helpings of punk, psychodelia, surf and wrapped up in boundless energy. The songs are typical punk in style, fast, furious and around 2 and a half minutes long.

What sets “Bored Animal” apart is the variety of sound and styles used. No two songs sound the same, the only constant being the overdose of pure energy. You can hear whisphers of influences such as The White Stripes, The Stooges, The Beatles, grunge and Psychobilly. This is garage rock of the finest quality.

The album starts off with the title track Bored Animal with a bueatiful sharp guitar tone, reminiscent of bands like The Brains or the Koffin Kats, and that anarchic punk like Psychobilly feel runs through this one, with it’s fast pace and frenetic guitar backed up by the snare led drum beats. It blows the covers off your speakers, and sets the tone perfectly for whats to come.

With Marc-Andre Léclerc the feel is more late 70’s / early 80’s punk, with its staccato guitar playing and repetitive drum beat which had me harking back to the likes of the My Sharona by The Knack – classic distorted punk !

I loved the attitude that just oozes through Old Romantic, with lyrics like “Running from a policeman, pissing in a phone box, stealing from the milkman” t has that drunken anarchic early hours vibe and the sound is suitably chaotic, generating a feeling of being chased around town. Stunning stuff.

Johnny Got No Beef reigns back the mayhem slightly, with a delightful Johnny Marr guitar sound before we’re hit by Derek E. Fudge a delightful high light on the album. A drop of psychedelic weirdness in a see of punked rock and roll. The chorus section shave that Beetles “Yellow Submarine” weirdness, the verse sections have that darker, spoken word feel of something like The Viagara Boys. Maybe my fave track on the album.

The ferocity returns with Downertown and 12-12-21 which will be. Brilliant addition to their live set, with a brilliant line in singalong “woahs” (Can’t beat a good old “woah” at the barrier). The guitars are intense and the drums thunderous.

Another applicant for the live set has to be Wierdo in the Park, which starts with a riff section that reminded me of 80’s Scottish indie-pop band The Shop Assistants, before building into an anthemic grunge tinged monster of a track.

The psychobilly guitar elements return with the quirky and fun The Sadness of King Kong, which leads into the lead single from the album I Fly Planes into Hurricanes. It’s fiery, fast and raw no nonsence rock and roll. It makes the hair stand on your neck and your pulse race with its intensity and attitude and fuzzy guitar riffs. Check out the video below:

And then we reach the final track Gin and Fog which stands alone as a stark contrast to the rest of the album. Instrumental only, its laid back, laconic guitar tones and brushed (?) drums almost ease you off to sleep and relax from the intensity of what came before. The guitar tone is reminiscent of that familiar crisp Gretsch sound (think Nick 13), and with simple vocal “Ooo’s” and whistling it evocatively creates the feel of mac, and trilby wearing PI was with a whiskey in a speak easy considering the recent events in his latest case.

His Lordship are a breathe of fresh air. Two guys that just love to play live and with a love of all things rock ‘n roll. And they deliver rock ‘n roll as it should be…. Short, fast, intense…… and loud. There’s no way you’ll get bored with this one.

For me, and we’re all different, there isn’t a weak song here. It’s an album I’ve been spinning daily since getting the review copy and we’re giving it a big fat LOUD 10 from LiveWire.

His Lordship launch the album tomorrow with a show at Hoxton Hall in London, some tickets still available – check out more on Facebook HERE.