Legss: Top Dog of the Underground Scene

London’s underground music scene seems most of the time to be a battle of which one-syllabled band smokes more cigarettes than the other. Regardless, there’s a lot of talent around if you know where to look. A great example of talent in a pool of wannabes is Legss. After their EU tour in early 2024 with Hotel Lux, and continuous grinding in the studio pending the release of their new album, drummer Louis Grace sat down with me for a cup of tea.  

I’d met Louis at a Kaeto gig in Islington, so I wasn’t overly surprised when he sat down next to me in a colourful woollen jacket, t-shirt-button-up shirt combo and boots alongside his freshly highlighted hair, better dressed than everyone within a 5-mile radius. I also wasn’t surprised when he told me, “I’ve been playing in a band since I was 10 and learnt to play drums just so I could be in a band.” What did surprise me, however, was that he wasn’t smoking. His throat hurt, apparently.  

Drummer Louis Grace © Maisy Banks.

Music is a very social career to aspire to, what with the constant touring, meetings and gigs, so it made perfect sense when he told me, “Meeting new people and talking with them is one of the nicest things”. Although when pressed about any potential upcoming tours, I was met with the response of, “We’ve been so focused on the new album” and, “There definitely will be a tour, we’re just waiting”. Although to fans this may seem frustrating, if previous Legss sets are anything to go by, it’ll be well worth the wait. 

The 13 tracks on the new album were all recorded on the Isle of Wight, with Louis saying it’s “the most coherent body of work we’ve put together.” After a large gulp of English Breakfast, he adds that the album is “unconventional stuff met with an indie pop kinda attitude”. It seems almost certain that, according to Louis, journalists will “call it experimental rock,” although he doesn’t seem phased by his work being labelled as something he doesn’t perhaps resonate with. “It’s just opinion really, people will have different opinions on things they listen to.” Fans should be excited though, as I was told it’s also the most “diverse” work of Legss to date, and that “it’s taken fucking ages to write, we’ve been experimenting with new instruments.” 

“When I drive, I only listen to CDs, so when I listen to an album I really fucking listen to it,” was what I was told when pressing him about his album of the year, with passion and heat you could only expect from an artist. After toying with the idea, taking a few sips of tea, and chewing on his flapjack, he came out with When Man Fails You, an album released in 2015 by Yves Tumour. Importantly, however, “before he commercialised his stuff”. However, due to the nearly impossible task of giving just one answer to album of the year, Pretty Penny Slur was also mentioned, a dark, grungy instrumental album released by Spresso in 2024. Here’s to hoping, maybe even expecting, for Legss' new album to feature on people’s 2025 album of the year. 

Legss, riling crowds across Europe © Maisy Banks.

With London’s music scene constantly changing, with bands struggling to come to terms with the dog-eat-dog nature of the business, one band seems to be riding the wave better than the rest. They have fans on the edge of their seats wondering what the next few years have in store for them, and if you have an ounce of sense, you’ll see what all the hype is about. 

Listen here.