Following the September release of their mediated, grandiose, and often brilliant debut album Unreal, Legss deliver a compelling hour-long set at Gullivers in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
Despite hailing from South London – the birthplace of bands such as Shame, Black Country, New Road, Fat White Family, and Black Midi – Legss’s music has little in common with the scene. Their tracks chart a kind of post-university coming-of-age in late-stage capitalist London, with the city itself acting as an additional band member. London’s presence is felt throughout much of their work, seemingly serving as a dual source of frustration and inspiration.
Legss’s latest release, Unreal, takes their Mark Fisher-esque ideology to new, poetically charged heights, leaning into the vulnerability explored on their 2023 EP, Fester. A frenzied energy – and a persistent sense of never having enough time – permeates the album, perhaps because most of the lyrics were written during a four-day annual leave from work, and the album was recorded in just five. Described by the band as being about “miscommunication and feelings of unreality, the uncanny in everyday life, the tragic and the comic,” Unreal gives fans plenty to get excited about ahead of their Manchester appearance.
Led by floppy-haired frontman Ned Green, who sports a t-shirt emblazoned with the word UNREAL, Legss arrive on Gullivers’s stage to a stirring reception from the sparse but eager crowd. The venue’s mosaic light shades and high ceiling lend a cathedral-like atmosphere to the proceedings, which are briefly delayed by technical issues.
The performance soon gets underway, and a dynamic rendition of “Sleepers, Awake” showcases the satirically charged first-person narration that defines much of Unreal. The track perfectly encapsulates the mid-20s awkwardness of maintaining friendships – “scambling for conversation, we talk about our jobs” – while delivering a visceral, shape-shifting energy that’s imbued with psychosis.
“See No Evil” is another early highlight. Its soft edges are amplified in the live setting, though its lyrics – charting emotional fatigue and passiveness – remain the star of the show. This more stripped-back, heartfelt version is paired with thrashing choruses and pained screams from Green, resulting in a compelling performance for the now packed-out Gullivers crowd.
This is followed by Unreal opener, “Broadcast.” With its hazy vocals, haunting guitars, and layered verses, “Broadcast” is a sweeping meditation on both loss and hope that erupts into a glorious burst of bittersweet joy during its final minute. Though Green seems hesitant to hit the song’s highest notes – perhaps in order to preserve his voice – it’s nontheless a masterful showing.
“Gloss” proves to be a late-set standout. The slow-burning single reaches dramatic heights and explodes in raw passion during its conclusion. Meanwhile, “Fester”, the lead track from the 2023 EP of the same name, navigates the anxieties of London’s sprawling urban landscape and wallows in chaotic bursts of noise amidst its character-driven narrative.
“Fester” leads straight into “909”, the haunting lead single from Unreal. It explodes with an unruly rhythm section and sees Green channel a nine-to-fiver unravelling at the seams under the weight of a political podcast addiction. The static, industrial elements towards the track’s closure perfectly match its uneasy, paranoia-drenched tone, ending the night in game-winning fashion.
Legss’ blend of world-building theatricality and sonic expositions offered a unique and thrilling experience for those in attendance. Always a band to find melodrama in the mundane, they seem at their best when rejecting accessibility in favour of embracing the strange, nameless characters that haunt their songs.
MORE FROM LEGSS HERE
CHECK OUT THE LATEST TRENDING MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS HERE
