At Lucky Dog Music Hall

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Two bands that stood out during the 80’s metal scene, Bang Tango and House of Lords are currently teaming up for a double bill of 80's rock and roll nostalgia. Although Joe LeSte of Bang Tango and James Christian of House of Lords are the only two original members left in both bands, their signature voices made for an enjoyable night of music. In order to breathe new life into their bands, both Joe and James had to assemble a new line-up that is comparable to their signature sound. Both bands are touring in support of their latest albums, which include Bang Tango's "From The Hip" on Perris Records, and House of Lords, "World Upside Down" on Frontiers Records. Original House of Lords keyboard player Greg Giuffria does handle some keyboard parts on "World Upside Down”, even though he no longer tours with the band.

These days the new Bang Tango line-up features Joe LeSte on vocals, Timmy Russell on drums, Michael Thomas on guitar, and Lance Eric on bass. House of Lords features James Christian on vocals, Jimi Bell from Connecticut on lead guitar, B.J. Zampa on drum, and Chris Mccarvill on bass. Guitarist Jimi Bell, is also a left handed guitarist, who did a great job of infusing his own 80’s riff infused guitar style on all of the House of Lords classic tunes. House of Lords were always known for their monstrous sound and power vocals. The new line-up holds true to the old one.

House of Lords hit the stage at 11:00 P.M. and performed a vast array of all their classic MTV hits and even included three new songs from their latest album,” World Upside Down" in an hour long set. House of Lords have been performing a lot in Europe lately, so this was first time seeing the band in a long time. I was anxious to hear how House of Lords would sound without Greg Giuffria and Chuck Wright and Lanny. These days, Greg has taken the business path in Las Vegas and Chuck Wright is back in Quiet Riot.

House of Lords opened with "Sahara, and then slammed in "Talkin About Love". It was great to see that James Christian still had his powerful vocal style that really hasn’t changed much since the 80’s. James Christian still has his signature quality voice that was popular back in the MTV heyday. You would think that would Gene Simmons behind the band, in the 80's, that House of Lords would have become more of a household name, back in the day. Lead guitarist Jimi Bell is an 80's shredder that fit right into the House of Lords melodic pop sound.

I had the opportunity to hear House of Lords perform three new songs of "World Upside Down", which included, "Rock Bottom", "I'm Free", and "These Are The Times". The new songs follow in the mold of "Sahara". I spoke to James Christian about the new album and he said," We wanted to keep the signature melodic hard rock sound that House Of Lords is known for, and to just update it a little with modern production. We wanted to stay true to 80’ our roots. "World Upside Down" is a band effort. We have been playing a lot in Europe. "World Upside Down" is Number on the radio station ARFM in Europe. The fans in Europe still love 80's music. House of Lords are still very big over there. The market is huge for metal in Europe. House of Lords will be touring Europe beginning February 14th. We will be playing Germany, Switzerland, and Italy.

One of the interesting aspects that struck me about the House of Lords set was the quality of musicianship. James still has that quality voice that was in tip-top shape during the set and especially on the acoustic version of "Can’t Find My Way Home". The band had a huge power sound, for the tiny Lucky Dog Music Hall. It was great to hearing "Edge of Life" again. I highly recommend checking out the new version of House of Lords. It is hard to keep a band together for over twenty years, but James Christian is trying to bring his signature sound back to the House of Lords fans in the U.S., assembling a great new lineup that wants to tour and create new music reminiscent of the old school House of Lords sound, yet with a touch of modern day ambiance.

House of Lords Set List:

• Sahara
• Talkin Bout Love
• Love Don't Lie
• Rock Bottom
• Edge Of Your Life
• Wanna Be Loved
• These Are The Times
• Can't Find My Way Home
• I'm Free
• Pleasure Palace
• Slip Of The Tongue