I’ve seen ex-Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers guitarist Walter Lure and his band The Waldos play a handful of times in NYC since 2002, including a knockout New Year’s Eve gig at Bowery Electric just two months ago. But the opportunity to catch them for the first time in my home state of New Jersey proved too luring (pun intended) to pass up. So I hopped in my car and headed the 50 or so miles down the Garden State Parkway to the former beach resort town (and Bruce Springsteen birthplace) of Long Branch. And judging by the lively crowd at this venerated, long-lasting punk club, it seemed like every old school rock ‘n’ roller within spitting distance showed up in eager anticipation of seeing Lure in action. Once again, the band did not disappoint.
Walter Lure
Typical of Waldos shows, you usually know what songs you’ll be getting, since their setlist hasn’t changed much through the years. The band has only released one album under the Waldos moniker, 1994’s Rent Party, and they played a few songs from it, including “Sorry” (one of the set’s highlights) and “Crybaby” (written by the late Waldos bassist Tony Coiro), as well as covers of Ray Charles’ 1963 #4 “Busted” and Gary U.S. Bonds’ 1962 #27 “Seven Day Weekend”. (Lure also played a new song that he started writing a few weeks ago and did not yet have a title, but it still sounded like a work-in-progress.)
Guitarist Takto and cymbal-obscured drummer Joe Rizzo
But the majority of the set consisted of old Heartbreakers tunes (though Thunders got top billing, many of their songs were written and sung by Lure), originally heard on now-classic albums like 1977’s L.A.M.F. and 1979’s Live at Max’s Kansas City. These included perennial audience favorites “London Boy”, “One Track Mind”, and “Get Off the Phone”, and set-closing smashers “Too Much Junkie Business” and “Chinese Rocks”. As always, Lure allows his two gruff-voiced Japanese bandmates, guitarist Takto and bassist EZ, to sing a handful of numbers, such as Thunders-penned gems “Born to Lose”, “Pirate Love”, and “Let Go”, and The Contours’ 1962 #1 “Do You Love Me?”
Bassist EZ
It’s rare these days to hear a band that plays old-style, R&B-influenced rock, served up with a kicking, danceable backbeat and a roaring punk-fueled edge. For those of us who weren’t around for the Heartbreakers’ late ‘70s heyday, Lure and his mates still capture the spirit and essence of what their shows must’ve been like. Just another reason not to miss them when they play near you!
Walter Lure
