Drop Legs
We caught up with Drop Legs before they make it across the ditch for their New Zealand tour.
Words by Liam Stretch. Images provided.
Aussie rockers Drop Legs are set to tour Aotearoa in early 2020 and are bringing with them a whimsical mix of surf rock, hip hop, and reggae. Their self-described dank bass lines are sure to get you frothing hard. The band has taken inspiration from artists across various genres such as Burning Spear, Chronixx, Sticky Fingers, and Tame Lmpala. Drop Legs are ones to watch so before they make their way across the ditch Yo Vocal had a quick chat to get to know these legends.
Tell us the Drop Legs story?
We all met kicking around the crusty Byron Bay share-house scene around four or five years ago and bonded through fondness for big beats, weed, and surfing. We all see each other as friends more than bandmates, that's important to keep the vibes good and the journey fun. The name came about when we were flicking through a Jamaican slang dictionary – the term "Drop Legs" means to bust out and dance, however, I've had other people tell me it also means "too stoned to walk".
How would you describe your music?
Our music is punchy, bouncy music from the coast, the kind of tunes you wanna blast at a BBQ on the beach with your mates. Ice cold beers in the esky – with a couple of joints being passed around.
How has the last year been for you? Where have you performed and favourite show so far?
This last year has been wicked, we were in NZ at the start of the year for Soundsplash fest; did a couple of East Coast Australian tours and also toured with Tones and I on this crazy sold out Oz tour. We also played a few festivals including Party In The Paddock (Tasmania) and Island Vibe (QLD). The most special show was in Tasmania, we played to a full hill of people as the sun was setting, and a local Indigenous legend called "Craig Everett" came and played the didgeridoo along with one of our heavier kind of Rage Against The Machine protest songs – it was mental and he was dressed in wallaby skin and painted head to toe in traditional ochre. The didge gave it an eerie powerful ancient sound and the crowd were frothing out so hard – it was one of those career-defining moments. We were absolutely beaming and a little teary after the show.
What are you looking forward to most about your NZ tour?
Once again feeling the warm kiwi hospitality. Last time, we surfed Raglan (Indicators) for the first time and this massive fella built like a brick shithouse walked up to us in the car park. I thought maybe one of the boys dropped in on him and he was coming to staunch us, but he just pulls out this big blunt and says "youse fellas like to smoke?” We ended up bringing him to ‘Soundsplash’ and spending the whole weekend hanging out. He was teaching us Māori language, culture and history. It was so cool. We have also got a few days to surf and explore around Gizzy so hopefully, we luck out on some waves. Tora Bombora festival should be unreal and we’re really looking forward to it.
It’s set to be a stellar festival season both in New Zealand and at the neighbour’s place, Australia. Make sure you get to see these boys in action: 10th January at The Mount, 11th January in Gisborne, 17th January in Napier, finishing up the tour on the 18th of January at Tora Bombora.
