Hailing from an area that was dubbed ‘New Yorkshire’ by the NME back in 2006, for churning out a wave of top quality indie bands, isn’t such a treadmill of excitement these days. Long gone are the times when Leeds and Sheffield would be a hotbed for rock music, but this is what makes young bands such as ‘This Legion’ so exciting; the prospect of another Arctic Monkeys, Pigeon Detectives et al can’t be anything else.

It is most definitely far too early to compare this three-piece to such standout names in the scene, but the early signs displayed in their first EP are promising. Dubbing themselves ‘Blindie’ (Blues and indie) isn’t such a ludicrous statement, given the sheer funkiness of the bass in ‘Bring Me Joy’, a track that has all the credentials to be as danceable as indie can be – and that can’t be a bad thing. After all who wants music which doesn’t make you move?

‘Own the Ropes’ takes on a slightly different overall sound, although very welcome, with the vocals and the lyrics sounding far too mature for a new-born band. It’s not hard to hear what

influences ‘This Legion’ especially in ‘Shout & Protest’ but with the foundations they currently have, plus the potential of new ideas this band can do no wrong on the back of such a strong debut EP.

To see what it’s all about the band can be found playing at The Northern Monkey on the 6th November 2011.

Lance Holden

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