It’s still up in the air whether British dance rock outfit Bloc Party will come back from hiatus, but for now most of the guys have started side projects of their own — including bassist Gordon Moakes, with his hard-rocking three piece Young Legionnaire. The band’s debut album, Crisis Works, will drop on May 10, and the video for “Numbers” premieres exclusively on SPIN.com!
Moakes formed the band in 2009 with singer-guitarist Paul Mullen, who previously fronted experimental rock act yourcodenameis:milo, and drummer Will Bowerman, formerly of I Was a Cub Scout.
After recording some demos in 2009, Bowerman left to join La Roux’s touring band, but Moakes and Mullen soldiered on, enlisting new sticksman Dean Pearson to help flesh out the trio’s aggressive, noisy sound. Thematically, Moakes says the group is exploring the global economic situation through its lyrics, addressing the “siege mentality about recession and spending cuts.”
