Lords Please Home Crowd

House of Lords opened its Friday show at the Palace with “Pleasure Palace”--an apt introduction for the L.A.-based band’s first-ever hometown gig. And sure enough: With sonorous keyboards, booming drums and spirited guitar work, the Lords were indeed pleasurable. The layers of progressive rock and power pop could have put the club on overload, but the Lords kept solos thankfully short and emphasized the songs.

This group of veterans (the lineup includes ex-members of Giuffria, Quiet Riot and Alice Cooper) exhibited a refreshing ability to enjoy themselves. Keyboard wiz Gregg Giuffria’s blond tresses flew wildly and guitarist Lanny Cordola sparkled as he provided some striking licks. James Christian also stood out--someone able to sing with power and warmth. With so much commercially oriented rock emitting a stale, pre-fab feel, House of Lords is a breath of fresh air.