Legs On Wheels
“We’re open to anything as long as it feels right.”
One of the most exciting and refreshing things to happen in UK prog in many years, Legs On Wheels are almost certainly about to become your favourite new band. Thanks to a shrewd approach to social media, the Manchester-based quintet are enjoying a robust uptick in fortunes after releasing their second album, 'Gobble', earlier this year. As frontman Danny Murgatroyd explains, they are reaping the rewards of being blessed, early on, by a certified psychedelic legend.
“When it started, I was starting to build up songs of my own and I recorded this low budget, or no budget, bedroom album and put that out under the name Legs On Wheels, which was given to us by Daevid Allen,” he says. “I never got to see Gong with Daevid, because of his illness, but we did manage to catch him at an improvised music night. I just collared him and said ‘Give us a band name!’ and he thought for a second and said ‘Legs On Wheels’ right off the bat. We’re honoured to carry that little piece of him with us.”
Steeped in the eccentric traditions of prog’s UK greats, Legs On Wheels have conjured a fresh and exhilarating sound that wrings endless inspiration from a wild variety of sources, from Gentle Giant and King Crimson to Cardiacs and King Gizzard. As demonstrated on new album highlights like 'Oysters In A Half Shell' and 'Centipede', their songs combine the familiar with the joyously unexpected.
“I discovered Cardiacs quite late, and it was like, ‘Where has this been all my life?’” Murgatroyd grins. “That was the road I was going down almost, mixing the compositional sophistication of prog and classical, and the energy and visceral nature of punk. Rush were the gateway to prog, but bands like Gentle Giant and Genesis are what really stole my heart. We all want to avoid being a throwback band. We tend to be pretty open-minded. We’re open to anything as long as it feels right.”
“Otherwise you box yourselves in, don’t you?” adds guitarist Alex Crumbie. “With some artists, anything that comes out of them, it’s always them and they could make a pop record or a metal record, and it would still be in their world. We like the freedom of that.”
'Gobble' is the follow-up to 'Legroom', Legs On Wheel’s 2023 full-length debut. Brighter, punchier and more adventurous than its predecessor, it’s a record on which this mercurial crew truly blossom. Songs like explosive opener 'Oysters On The Half Shell' and bewildering epic 'Masteroid' brim with brilliant ideas, as this young band find their feet with a flourish.
“Some of the songs on 'Legroom' are approaching ten years old now, which is crazy. But obviously in that time, I hope that we’ve developed as songwriters,” says Murgatroyd. “For me, the tunes are better on 'Gobble'. They’re a bit more melodic, and the album as a whole is a bit more cohesive. 'Gobble' has more light and shade and diversity.”
Legs On Wheels are currently enjoying more attention than ever before, in part due to repeated exposure on Stuart Maconie’s 'Freak Zone', but also because the band’s social media game is nothing short of masterful. Embracing a modern way of doing things, while creating music (and some fabulous DIY music videos) that is anything but conventional, is clearly the way forward.
“I think we could’ve made a bigger splash with 'Legroom' if we’d known what we were doing a bit more,” Murgatroyd admits. “But now it feels like we’re doing a better job, and people are discovering us, which is great. I’ve finally got the hang of it! [Laughs]”.
- Dom Lawson
PROG FILE
LINE-UP: Danny Murgatroyd (vocals/guitar/flute), Alex Crumbie (guitar/vocals), George Roberts (keyboards/vocals), Dean Stoloff (bass), Jamie Boyles (drums)
SOUNDS LIKE: Joyful, eclectic and energetic British prog with a wild imagination
CURRENT RELEASE: 'Gobble' is available now via Bandcamp
WEBSITE: Home - Legs On Wheels
https://legsonwheelsband.com