Legion make music that you might describe as dark, danceable rock, but it would be more accurate and probably a bit easier just too call it Goth. They make their own brand of music which, despite drawing heavily from their post-punk and gothic influences, is still well and truly their own. They acknowledge a genre which is stunted by both media misconceptions and ludicrous internal protocols yet try to redefine it in accordance with their own agenda. Carry on reading for the story thus far...
Of The Beginning
Of 2009 - Featuring 1 Demo CD, 2 New Members & 3 Fucked Smoke Machines:
Of The Future - 2010 & Onwards:
This was quickly followed up by "A Fleeting Glimpse" in July 2010. A Fleeting Glimpse saw a dramatic step up in song writing and production values and earned good reviews all round.
Sadly, behind the scenes things weren't going quite so well. By November 2010 Legion had reached what eventually became an amicable split. Expect more updates soon enough, since several of the band have musical projects in the pipeline.
Things People Have Said About The Band:
“[Legion] should take great pride in the knowledge that their music is violently kicking life back in to UK’s stagnant Goth scene" – Dom Smith, Sphere Magazine
"...an EP you’ll probably be able to flog for a fortune in the future" - Mick Mercer on The Hereafter E.P.
"Some bands do atmosphere well... Legion do it very well" - Mick Mercer
"For me, after first hearing [Hereafter] it's clear that this is one of my new top 5 songs...
Believe me, if you find yourself on the dance floor and this song plays, you'll wish would never end - for you will lose yourself completely" - Static Magazine Germany
"...an air of aloof mysticism, but also melodious guitar compositions that are easy to dance to,
which every lover of gothic rock is bound to enjoy...This is gothic rock as we love it." - Dark Entries Webzine, Belgium
The idea of Legion was dreamed up in 2007 by Robert Maisey and Charles Shelley in their Hampshire hometown, alongside friend Daisy Dixon. Like so many bands before them, Legion was born of a deep seated love of the music that they’d shared their teenage years with. One drum machine later the first songs were being written and the idea became a reality. Despite this it wasn’t until Maisey and Shelley’s migration north to the City Of Leeds (that would fast become their home, and heart, land) that Legion was really brought to life.
Bassist Tim Sinister became a full time member of the band almost as soon as they settled in West Yorkshire. Alongside relentless drum machine rhythms, his powerhouse bass playing provided what was to become the backbone of the Legion sound. Having lost Daisy in the move up north the band also had to recruit a guitarist in order to become a fully functioning unit. It was Natya Raskolnikov, a fellow denizen of the Subculture nightclub, who finally completed the line up.
2009 was a good year for Legion. Shrouded in a thick wall of dry ice Legion began their career as a live band in Leeds, but quickly started playing shows all over the UK. Notable performances from late 2008 and early 2009 include opening the bill at both Beyond The Veil and Misfest festivals and playing in support of The Last Dance, Vendemmian, Inkubus Sukkubus, Rhombus and The Eden House (to name but a few). 2009 also saw the band putting out a demo CD, Veiled In Mist, which was available at gigs although never issued as a full release. For personal reasons, Tim decided to step down from his position as the band’s bassist at the end of year, but not before playing a fantastic last gig at G Fest at London’s Bull & Gate.
Legion's first genuine release was “The Hereafter EP” which came out January 2010 and was immediately followed by a short tour of the UK supporting The Eden House. There followed a period of calm, interspesed by a few festival appearances, including Gotham XI at the London Islington Academy and the very first year of DV8 Festival in York.
“fast becoming Leeds most notorious Goth band” - DJ Phono Paul, Black Sheep/Friday Flock.
