Initially coming together in high school and emerging as a dreamy punk-tinted band after college, the Northside-bred, female-fronted Leggy has grown into Cincinnati’s latest long-reaching musical output. They signed to independent UK record label Damnably (Wussy, Golden Gurls) in 2016, after label head George Gargan heard them perform a live set on the local radio station WAIF 88.3; soon after, they released a self-titled compilation of their first three EPs. But the release of their latest studio album, Let Me Know Your Moon, in late March, has brought the trio even greater recognition – and lots of critical acclaim.
The band – made up of Veronique Allaer, Kirsten Bladh, and Chris Campbell – just finished up a headlining tour, so now they’re diving head-first into upcoming summer shows. Here, Leggy lead singer and guitarist Veronique explains the origins of the 12-track LP, reflects on the trio’s beginnings and gives some deets on visuals in the works. Make sure to stream Let Me Know Your Moon and check out their upcoming shows below.
AF: How did you all come together?
VA: We started the band a year after college, when [I] moved back to Cincinnati from Washington DC. The three of us moved into a house in Northside together and talked about starting the band for a while before actually doing it. We named our first EP Cavity Castle after that place. I still walk past the place all the time and it makes me when I think about us all living there!
AF: Let’s talk your new album! The stories reflect the ups and downs of lust and heartbreak. Was it anything specific that inspired these concepts?
VA: Just relationships. All my lyrics are mostly inspired by real things. I think you can tell when it’s inauthentic and those songs don’t really appeal to me. But also, I don’t think each song needs to be about a specific one person or incident. I will mash up lyrics or ideas or something to make a better song. Some of the songs have been slowly evolving for years. For example, I wrote the chorus lyrics of “Eden” back in 2013, but the verses were written write like a week before we recorded the album.
AF: What’s each of your favorite song to perform off Let Me Know Your Moon?
VA: “Eden” KB: “My Room” CC: “Eden”
AF: Will you release any visuals for the album?
VA: Yes! We are cooking up music video ideas with Jo Shaffer, who co-directed all of The Ophelias‘ music videos. They have a really keen eye for simple and gorgeous aesthetics! We are super excited.
AF: You also just finished up your tour, how was it?
VA: We just got back from a three-week long headline tour, which we haven’t done in a while! It was really fun. It’s also really intense to be on a tour that is so long – essentially you’re spending every minute of every day 24/7 for three weeks straight with your bandmates. Even the nights we didn’t crash at someone’s house and splurged on a motel, we would have to take turns sitting in the van to call our [signficant other] just to have some privacy. It feels good to know that we are still able to tour and have a good time and respect each other’s boundaries and need for space [and] alone time. We’ve all known each other since we were 14, so sometimes it honestly feels like touring with siblings. We are about to go on a shorter tour with The Ophelias who are a super sick band also from Cincinnati. I’m very excited to spread the Cincy love.
AF: Are you planning on stopping in Cincy any time soon?
VA: We have a few local summer shows that we are really excited for.
AF: Anything else you’d like to add?
VA: Audiofemme is sick, thanks so much for having us. Cincinnati has a ton of really amazing bands right now – people should check out LUNG, The Ophelias, Strobobean, Electric Citizen, Soften, Triiibe, Fruit LoOops, Smut, Pout, Slow Glows and Lashes off the top of my head. Thanks for having us!
Photo by Will Fenwick.
Upcoming Leggy Shows:
June 8 – Bay City, MI @ Riverscene Indie Fest
June 9 – Detroit, MI @ PJs Lager House (with The Ophelias)
June 10 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern (with The Ophelias)
June 11 – Rochester, NY @ Small World Books (with The Ophelias)
June 12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Alphaville (with The Ophelias)
June 25 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups (with Potty Mouth & Colleen Green)
July 11 – Cincinnati, OH @ Urban Artifact (with And The Kids & Strobobean)
Girls to the front! Earlier this week, Bikini Kill’s original members – Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, and Kathi Wilcox – announced three reunion shows: 4/25 at the Hollywood Palladium; 5/31 at Brooklyn Steel; and 6/1 at Terminal 5. The band has been officially broken up since 1997 (they played “For Tammy Rae” at a book release party for Jenn Pelly’s 33 1/3 Raincoats tribute in 2017) though Wilcox and Hanna still play together as 2/4ths of The Julie Ruin. Bikini Kill have been steadily releasing vinyl reissues of their back catalog via their own eponymous imprint, as well as archiving materials – zines, flyers, demos, artwork, merch, personal photos – from the dawn of riot grrl, a movement they basically invented. But the “tour” announcement was definitely a pleasant surprise.
The punk band drew criticism, however, because tickets were only available through AES’s ticketing platform AXS, which of course left some fans out in the cold, even as scalpers began posting tickets via secondary markets in excess of $900 (face value was just under $50 with service fees). The band immediately announced a second L.A. show for April 26th; it sold out just as quickly. It’s certainly possible that more shows could be announced (particularly in New York, Hanna’s homebase) but it’s always a bummer to have to hit refresh dozens of times to no avail. At least there are plenty of YouTube clips from Bikini Kill’s heyday.
Toto Forever
When Toto penned their only number one hit, “Africa,” released in 1981, they probably didn’t think about the tune’s longevity. Sure, it’s catchy, but no one could’ve predicted its late-exploding popularity as the lyrics made their way into countless memes and TV shows like Stranger Things and South Park boosted recognition. Now, thanks to Namibian-German artist Max Siedentopf, “Africa” is never going to go away – because he’s erected an installation in the Namib desert, in which six solar-powered speakers play an MP3 of the song on a constant loop.
Siedentopf told NPR that the installation was “supposed to be a bit like a treasure that only the most loyal of Toto fans can find.” Indeed, it could be anywhere along the West Coast of Namibia, as the desert stretches some 1200 miles along the coast. Being a desert, the area is “nearly rainless,” and its name is derived from the Nama language, implying “an area where there is nothing.” And while it isn’t one of the two specific African landmarks mentioned in the song (Kilimanjaro/the Serengeti), maybe the installation will finally put Namibia on the map for Toto devotees.
That New New
Panda Bear teamed up with Dean Blunt to create the video for “Token,” from PB’s upcoming LP Buoys (out February 8 via Domino).
James Blake dropped a new album with very little fanfare; stream Assume Form below.
Weyes Blood hasn’t officially given any details on her forthcoming record, but she’s shared its first single, “Andromeda,” which was produced by Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado.
HEALTH is slated to release VOL. 4: SLAVES OF FEAR via Loma Vista Recordings on February 8 and have shared its blistering second single.
Dawn Richard (aka D∆WN) shared “sauce” from her forthcoming LP new breed, which is currently streaming over at NPR ahead of its January 25th release.
Experimental found-sounds duo Matmos celebrate the upcoming release of Plastic Anniversary (and 25 years as a band) with first single “Silicone Gel Implant;” they debuted some of their latest compositions at a Yo La Tengo Hannukah show this past December.
Swedish punks Makthaverskan are putting out a new 7″ and have shared its A-side, “Demands.”
SPELLLING shared “Under the Sun,” from forthcoming Sacred Bones LP Mazy Fly (out February 22).
Following a few sold-out reunion shows, San Jose art rockers Duster are back in the studio and have released their first single since 2000 album Contemporary Movement.
Xiu Xiu shared a disturbing video sequel to the equally disturbing “Scisssssssors;” both singles appear on Girl With Basket of Fruit, out February 8th.
Cardi B teams up with City Girls in a video for “Twerk,” which seeks to reclaim the booty-shaking dance move for black women everywhere.
Along with additional details about their upcoming collaborative album Lux Prima, Karen O and Danger Mouse shared the LP’s next single, “Woman.”
Lastly, we can’t get enough of this Leggy track from their upcoming LP and are super pumped about their January 23rd show at Baby’s All Right with Daddy Issues and Desert Sharks.
End Notes
Lana Del Rey, Jared Leto, and Courtney Love starred in a Gucci commercial released this week, soundtracked by Link Wray.
Cardi B posted an expletive-laden political rant via Instagram on Wednesday, criticizing the government shutdown. It’s already been remixed by the Autotune the News dudes. Belcalis Almanzar 4 Prez in 2o20!
Panorama Music Festival is going on hiatus as parent company AEG looks to secure a new location.
Sony has finallydropped R. Kelly in light of the disturbing allegations of his behavior toward women. Scrutiny has intensified for the artist since Lifetime aired their much-discussed Surviving R. Kelly documentary earlier this month.
Matt Daniels has updated his chart mapping the largest vocabulary in hip-hop, with Aesop Rock topping the list. You can toggle it so that it shows only members of Wu-Tang Clan, who clocks in at #5 (the GZA’s solo work is ranked one spot above, at #4).
Speaking of the Wu, there’s a documentary coming to Showtime in the spring that features the iconic NYC rap crew.
Gladys Knight has agreed to perform the National Anthem at Super Bowl LIII on February 3rd. The soul singer made some controversial statements about Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback whose police brutality kneeling protests left him a free agent. The halftime show will be headlined by Maroon 5, with special guests Big Boi and Travis Scott.
I’ve been called a masochist for going to Austin, TX’s South By South West festival so many years in a row. SXSW 2018 will be my eighth return trip and this year I’ll be an official artist with all three of my projects – Sharkmuffin, Ex-Girlfriends and Kino Kimino – totaling 17 sets in five days. Aside from the direct coffee IV I’ll be dragging around with me during the week, I’ll be taking my vitamins, (maybe) avoiding day drinking and eating at a lot of food trucks.
Navigating the music industry’s spring break for the first time can seem like a daunting task, so to help ease your South By South Stress, we talked to festival rookies Def.Grls and veterans Dentist, Leggy, and Boytoy, who have each made as many return trips to Austin as me.
Def.Grls (Brooklyn, NY)
AF: What about SXSW are you most excited about?
Mark: I’m most excited for all of the rock and roll, all of the debauchery, for all of the drugs, for all of the emotions and that I’m gonna win the official Def.GRLS tour game: The Great American Hero’s Quest; The Race for Badger’s Cup!
Craig: I’m most excited to visit the city of Austin for the first time. I’m excited for my first ever SXSW experience. I’m excited for Mark to do all the drugs and feel all the emotions. And I can’t wait to win the official Def.GRLS tour game: The Great American Hero’s Quest; The Race for Badger’s Cup!
Hannah: I’m most excited for my first ever tour and that I get to be with the GRLS! I’m also excited to play a house show on the way at Carl Fike’s house in Little Rock!!! I’m also most excited by how Craig is already negative points in the official Def.GRLS tour game: The Great American Hero’s Quest; The Race for Badger’s Cup!
AF: What was booking your first tour like?
Craig: Hannah was the mastermind behind this tour so we’ll let her field this one.
Hannah: It was really confusing and hard and fun! And mostly successful due to the kindness of strangers on the internet. I went to bandcamp and listened to, like, infinity bands in the different cities that would maybe make sense to stop at along the way, and when I found one I really liked, I reached out being like “Hey, you wanna be friends??” And they all put me in touch with a second or third or fourth person who helped us set up all the shows along the way. So freaking cool and friendly.
AF: What SXSW shows are you playing?
Def.GRLS: We’re playing 4 unofficial showcases in Austin! Starting things off with a daytime set on Wednesday the 14th at the 6th annual Uglyfest at Cherrywood Coffeehouse and then playing again that night at the Nochebuena in Space party at Stay Gold! Then on Thursday the 15th, we’re playing on the Midcoast Takeover stage at Shangri-la (where Hannah’s brother is running sound!). Then on Saturday the 17th we’re going to wrap up our time in Austin at the Indicate Interest day party showcase at Hops and Grain!
AF: How are you going to pass the time on the road on your way to Texas?
Craig: We love to do Madlibs, listen to Aqua…
Mark: …pray to Ihop (rule #23 in the official Def.GRLS tour game: The Great American Hero’s Quest; The Race for Badger’s Cup!)
Craig: …gossiping about our frenemies. But mostly participation in the official Def.GRLS tour game: The Great American Hero’s Quest; The Race for Badger’s Cup is very demanding of our mind, body and soul.
Hannah: So true. The official Def.GRLS tour game: The Great American Hero’s Quest; The Race for Badger’s Cup tests each GRL’s mental, physical and psychic strengths. It says so right on the first page:
Mark: Hannah’s in the lead. But I’m gonna win. 4glory!!
Dentist (Asbury Park, NJ)
AF: What’s your favorite food truck / venue in Austin?
Our experience is somewhat limited at this point, but when we were there in 2016 we really enjoyed playing at the Hard Luck Lounge because they had a great outdoor section and a food truck outside with very tasty snacks. We always like playing outside when it’s nice out.
AF: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you at SXSW?
One of the days when we were hanging out and drinking, we ended up at some cowboy bar and this older guy, probably in his 60s or 70s, asked me to square dance with him. Turns out he must have been a professional or something. Even though I frequently line danced to “Achy Breaky Heart” in middle school during gym class, I couldn’t keep up and had to sit down after 15 minutes or so. Not sure how crazy that is, but it’s a funny memory that comes to mind.
AF: What are your tips for surviving SXSW?
I think it’s all about a mindset. Normally at a certain point you would say to yourself, “I’m tired, time to go home,” but you just have to tell yourself that it’s only one week, and you can find time to sleep at some other point in the future.
AF: What showcases are you playing, and what showcases or bands are you the most excited to go see?
Our official showcase is at BD Riley’s on March 15th at 10pm. Then we are playing two awesome unofficial shows with amazing lineups; the first one is March 15th starting at 4pm at Hard Luck Lounge and is presented by Little Dickman Records, the other is presented by Little Dickman Records, CoolDad Music, and Garden State Beards and is at Valhalla on March 17th starting at 11am. We are down to take on more stuff, so if anyone reading is doing a showcase and wants to reach out, go for it! We are really excited to see Wavves, Andrew W.K, Sharkmuffin, Parrot Dream, Fruit and Flowers, Ex Girlfriends, Pink Mexico, Beams, Albert Hammond Jr., Anna Burch, High Waisted, Kino Kimino, Boytoy, Grace Vonderkuhn and a bunch more I’m sure.
Boytoy (Brooklyn, NY)
AF: What’s your favorite food truck / venue in Austin?
Hotel Vegas always has rad stuff going on. If we’re not playing a show we usually end up just hanging around there. We love the Bloody Marys at Rio Rita’s. Cheer Up Charlie’s is always a good show. And Spider House.
AF: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you at SXSW?
Chase: I MET MY TOP HEROES IN THE SAME DAY! I woke up and saw Michelle Obama speak on a panel, kissed Iggy Pop’s hand, saw the late Leon Russell play, and ran into Erykah Badu like three times.
Sara: Glenn and I did acid and watched Jacuzzi Boys play at Hotel Vegas. Everyone around us was so drunk and destroying the tree in the yard and that’s where I think it went downhill for Glenn. We went to see Sheer Mag play a show on a foot bridge at like 2am. The bridge was definitely swaying and Glenn kept checking the date the bridge was constructed thinking if it was gonna collapse she had her exit plan.
AF: What are your tips for surviving SXSW?
Adderall and day drinking. Don’t try to overachieve on show hopping. It’s usually better to pick a showcase and stay put for a few hours to avoid all the chaos.
AF: What showcases are you playing and what showcases or bands are you the most excited to go see?
This year is going to be crazy for us! We’re doing Burgerama, Wienermania, Desert Daze, Pond Magazine, Cult Citizen, Quit Your Day Job, Onward Indian, Little Dickman, Siren Sounds, Panache Hangover, and a couple of house parties.
Our schedule is so crazy that I’m not sure we’ll be able to have much free time to see other shows! Basically just the bands that will be playing right around our set times, so it’s cool most of them are our friends. We’ve found it’s better to stumble into thing rather than try to plan a schedule. The random finds are always the most gratifying. Chase wants to catch Princess Nokia.
Leggy (Cincinnati, OH)
AF: What’s your favorite food truck / venue in Austin?
I really like the Whip In! We played there one SXSW – it’s a corner store, bar, venue, and Indian food restaurant combo. Pretty dank. Spider House and Cheer Up Charlies are also really great and beautiful.
AF: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you at SXSW?
We once rented a one bedroom apartment with three other bands, and that also included their assorted roadies, pals, and makeout partners. It was something like 22 people in there. Pretty amazing that anyone found a place to smooch! ;)
AF: What are your tips for surviving SXSW?
Go with the flow. Don’t be stressed if you can’t stick to a laid out plan of bands you want to see – things are crazy but fun! Always budget more time than you think you’ll need to make it to shows, especially if you’re playing. Austin is HOT! Bring sunscreen and summer clothes. Talk to everyone and make friends. You’ll probably see them again next year!!!
AF: What showcases are you playing & what showcases / bands are you the most excited to go see?
Shows Leggy is playing:
3/12 Strange Brew at Volstead Lounge @ 5:45pm
3/13 Ground Floor Booking showcase at Love Goat @ 7pm
3/13 Room 484 Showcase at Fine Southern Gentlemen @ 11:45pm
3/14 Outer Orbit Booking Showcase at Stay Gold @ 11pm
3/15 Grey Estates Showcase at Voodoo Donut @ 3:30pm
3/15 That’s What She Said Showcase at 1811 Rosewood @ 8pm
3/15 Howdy Gals Showcase at Hole in the Wall @ 10:30pm
3/16 Escapes House Party @ 5pm
3/17 Burgermania at Hotel Vegas @ 5:45pm
3/17 Howdy Gals Party at Beerland @ 10pm
I’m most excited to check out the Old Flame Records Showcase at Swan Dive on 3/17 to catch some pals from Cincinnati (Lung and Dawg Yawp). I also really want to catch Say Sue Me (from Korea) because we are touring with them next month!
Make your band’s first or fifth trip to SXSW easier by…
Finding your place to crash well in advance. Airbnbs can be $600 (or more!) a night. If you’re stuck sleeping in your van, there’s a nice lobby at the downtown Hilton where I’ve taken many mid-day naps while charging my phone.
Packing Light. You’ll be out all day, so other than your music equipment you’ll only want a light (possibly free if you’re official) backpack.
Putting your name, phone number and/or some kind of unique look on all your gear. There are so many bands’ shit lying around, it’s good to be able to easily and quickly identify your own stuff.
Keeping business cards & stickers handy.
Making time to see bands you wouldn’t normally see in your hometown. SXSW is all about the parties, but it’s also a great time to network and connect with folks from DIY scenes in other cities.
Drinking lots of water. SXSW is one massive day drinking contest. You can win if you remember to hydrate!
Ticket Giveaways
Each week Audiofemme gives away a set of tickets to our featured shows in NYC! Scroll down to enter for the following shindigs.
