Twistin’ With Lord Rochester – Lord Rochester (Off The Hip)
Don’t let the fact that it’s a compilation put you off. This disc is a charmer with its simplicity and evocation of the ghosts of Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Lonnie Mack.
Lord Rochester is a trio from Scotland and plays it straight without the slightest hint of irony. Their music is post-skiffle, traditional rock and roll rendered in its purest form. No tricks and just a dash of reverb.
They lay claim to being “Scotland’s best sounding (and best looking) rock and roll show” and certainly have cornered a certain part of the market for their sartorial elegance, with matching tartan suits and cocktail wear.
As you may have guessed, heavy this music ain’t. The instrumental “Monkey’s Fist” the most strident tune here. Lord Rochester’s music has a refreshingly light touch, which is mainly down to percussionist Siberian Tim who holds down the beat on a spartan kit with minimal fills. His maracas get a look-in (no double entendre intended) and how many amplified bands can you say that about?
The Lord himself plucks guitar and warbles in a pretty agreeable way and without a hint of brogue, while Lady Muck lays down bass-lines and harmony vocals.
The band has history: They swept through Australia for a hand of dates in 20022, and half the CD is drawn from the 2009 “Hey!” album with the balance from various singles and EPs.
Lord Rochester is currently touring Europe with the likes of Melbourne favourites The Cha Cha Chas, if you needed any extra incentive to check them out. Maybe we can hope for another sojourn south of the equator?
To procure a copy, send an email to Off The Hip owner Mickster
