This week’s introducing article sees us head to our smoggy capital for some glorious female led alt punk… meet Legend in Japan.
As far as introductory statements go, the band’s own words are probably better than our own: “We are Shabby, Pyro, Eloise and Martin, a bunch of cyber urchins from the bowels of the Big Smoke”. With that we get an immediate taste of the personality of the band as a whole, accented with their bio of “Four little bitches playing some tunes” with the band defining themselves as playing “alt-punk with a grungy twist.”
Speaking about the history of the band, when asked about how they got together they said “[we] were just getting over a terrible incident involving an ex-band and some terribly mainstream soft rock when Shabby fucked off to find herself in India. Having found nothing but botulism and shanti vibes, she came back, collected up Pyro and Martin and formed Legend in Japan. Roping Eloise in, we then started gigging up and down the country, seeing a definite increase in recognition following our show at Rebellion [Festival]. With many stories already under our belt involving rohypnol-laced Shepherd’s pie and on-stage panic attacks, who knows what’s coming next” – which about as off-putting as a dinner invitation that we think we’ve ever heard. What we can say however is that after a massively successful set at this year’s Rebellion, the band have been asked back to play in 2013.
The band have not long released their debut EP ‘Welcome To The Pity Party’, from which ‘Agitation! Propaganda!’ is streaming below. The does best represent the EP as whole with the attitude laced vocals shining through especially. The musicianship is tight, and a natural chemistry flows through the band across the EP.
As a predominantly female punk band, Legend in Japan are part of a genre that’s seeing a large increase in women actively involved both in bands and behind the scenes (and rightly so). The band themselves don’t see that as such a big deal anymore, saying that it’s “irrelevant whether the band incorporates women or men”, and it’s clear that the band are in this for music purposes rather than that trying to play politics within the scene. Regardless of this, they are still helping pave the way for women in punk and that can only be a good thing. Going into next year the band will be recording a follow up to their debut EP with a tour in January/February on the cusp of being announced.
Legend in Japan are a band whose personality just shines through, in both the answers given when we interviewed them and through their music. It’s what makes them interesting, it’s what makes us want to listen to them and we hope you do too. Their brand of grungy, alt-punk is fresh as it is unique. It’s little wonder why this band are set to have a great 2013 and we can’t wait to see them come into their own.
http://www.facebook.com/legendinjapanband
CHRIS MARSHMAN