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League Champs – The New Move
League Champeen Music - 2003
Guitars jangle and fall all over themselves, while strange sounds abound on the independent release from “League Champs”, a distinctively punk quintet from Toronto, Canada. Their songwriting is somewhere between early Social Distortion and a really drunk Ramones. Are they Rock? Yes. Are they coherent? Barely. And that is the charm of League Champs, their high energy, “fuck it all” attitude makes this a great listen for those days when you get to work hung over and find out that you’ve missed another staff meeting.
Key tracks include the trippy “Alaska”, which is immersed in guitars that jangle and growl, invoking shades of circa 1994 Weezer. “Venus” is an unusual yet very listenable track that sounds a bit like Pete Yorke, only with a trombone (or is that a French horn, I get those two confused). “Fascists of Fashion”, with its rapid fire lyrics and anthematic chorus are a poppy romp about the constraints of being cool.
Melodic and fun, League Champs would certainly make a great house band for your next house party.
And I wouldn’t hold being Canadian against them, either.
- same
By Barb McKay
Staff Writer
INGERSOLL — League Champs is returning to its roots for its first ever concert in Oxford County.
The Toronto-based band will play at King’s Korners in Ingersoll Dec. 19.
The band’s lead singer, Kevin Couch, was born and raised in Ingersoll, but has never had the chance to play for a home crowd. League Champs’ drummer, Darren Hill, hails from Woodstock. The band formed three years ago after meeting at the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology in London.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Couch said. “My brother and his friends have come up to shows, but there’s going to be a lot of people I don’t normally get to see until Christmas.”
The band — which also consists of Brett Trider on guitar and trombone and Andrew Exworth on bass — released its first album, The New Move, in August.
“It took a couple of years to record, because of money,” Couch said. “The songs have a rockabilly feel to straight rock and country. It’s all over the place.”
League Champs plan to play a mix of old and new songs, but have to incorporate more material than it has in any other show because the group is expected to play three sets.
“We have to play a lot of covers,” Couch said, “so we’ve been rehearsing a lot. We’ve never come across this before. It’s really fun though.”
The band plans to play songs from bands like Guns N’ Roses and the Foo Fighters.
Couch promises the show will be an interesting one — the band often wears costumes and incorporates props from trampolines to glitter.
The band is working on new material and looking towards putting out a second album.
“We always try to keep writing new songs, and we’ll probably start recording in the new year,” Couch said.
The band is also planning a two-week tour, scheduled for April 2004, which will take the group to Lawrence, Kansas.
There is no admission charge for the Ingersoll performance and the band is expected to take the stage between 9 and 10 p.m. - The Daily Sentinel Review
Discography
The New Move - released 2003
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
What's in a name? Who knows? This name was chosen when our regular rehearsals would be packed with up to eight people, all playing different things and creating a hell of a din. These rehearsals eventually whittled down and what remained was the first version of the League Champs in the winter of 2000. Over the years our members have been substituted due to moving to Scotland, and marriage, TWICE!! You never really understand that Bryan Adams song until it happens to you...
The current roster of League Champs has us at our leanest, with only four members (thinking of adding another) but the high energy shows remain the same. It just gives us more room to jump (not in that David Lee Roth way) and alot more room to breathe.
We still do what we always have; ripping our fingers to shreds, diving through drumkits and sporting chipmunk costumes while bouncing on trampolines (seriously). (One important side note; make sure that the drumkit you dive into is your own, drummers get a little upset when you jump on their equipment. They may even want to fight you.)
Here it is plainly, one of us works in a daycare, two of us are colourists and one other one of us is a cook. Very unassuming, but real. We aren't trying to adapt to the constantly changing trends, we just produce energetic, raw, discordant and sweat dripping music. Music that makes you take notice. If our songs don't get you (why wouldn't they) then our refreshing onstage energy will hook you.
"The thing is, you guys have soul..."
-Mark Sasso, Elliot Brood
"Always entertaining."
- Darryl Hurs, Gen-sub Records
"Guitars jangle and fall all over themselves, while strange sounds abound..."
- www.bullz-eye.com
RIYL - Archers of Loaf, Replacements, Husker Du, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, early U2.
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