Ham Legion
are a Brighton trio describing themselves as ‘psychedelic prog-pop’. To be fair, that just scratches the surface
and doesn’t do them justice. They’re
positively madcap.
Oozing with
energy and a billion ideas (many of which will appear in just one track) they
combine alternative pop sensibility with outbursts of metal and forays into
mysticism and downright bonkersness.
Often
breaking into instrumental breaks from each member, their tunes also knit together
some great melodies. Take the track It’s
Winnie from their Hexes And Stew EP for instance, a lovely blend of gentle pop
knitted together with raw guitars and the odd out of place note which almost
becomes characteristic.
Dunce’s Cap
from the same EP also captures the bands willingness to experiment as several
styles blend (almost) seamlessly to make a mammoth track of several parts. It worked for Queen so why not Ham
Legion? We can only dream.
‘Unconventional’
may be the word that most aptly describes the band and why not. Nothing comes from treading water and they
certainly don’t do that. Renege from the
Counting To Ten EP verges on grunge metal several times but also combines a
melodious quality which is both refreshing and powerful.
Don’t be misled,
they aren’t for everyone but it’s nice to see someone doing something so
different that we can dare to call them original perhaps in the same way that
Ashley Reakes rips it up and spits it back out again. If you want a bit of aggression, muscle and
the occasional affectionate hook then they might be right up your street, if
you want blandness then forget it.
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