Biography
Leadleg were a Sydney-based band formed by two Christchurch-born post-punk veterans: Jonathan Ogilvie (bass/vocals) and Michael Daly (drums), both former members of Christchurch outfit YFC. The two had relocated to Sydney after YFC’s initial run, and Leadleg appears to have operated from the late 1980s onward — though the band is sparsely documented online. Their only confirmed recording is “Caboose,” which appeared on Failsafe Records‘ South: Alternative Music in Christchurch 1986–1988 compilation — placing the band in direct connection with the Christchurch alternative scene of that era, despite their Sydney base.
The band’s sound is not directly described in surviving sources, but by context — their background in YFC, a post-punk two-bass-and-drums outfit — they emerged from the same milieu as The Bats, Tall Dwarfs, and the other acts documented by Failsafe Records across its three archive compilations of the Christchurch alternative scene (1980–1990). The band also recorded an altered version of the YFC track “Waltz,” though the release details of that recording are unconfirmed.
After Leadleg, Michael Daly continued as a drummer, recording with The Renderers on their 2009 album Monsters and Miasmas and with Kimo (with Dave Mulcahy of Jean-Paul Sartre Experience and Rob Mayes of Failsafe Records). Jonathan Ogilvie turned to filmmaking, making music videos for Flying Nun bands including Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, The Bats, Headless Chickens, and Straitjacket Fits, before directing Head South (2024), a semi-autobiographical film set in 1979 Christchurch’s punk scene.
Members
- Michael Daly (drums, YFC, The Renderers)
- Jonathan Ogilvie (bass/vocals, YFC)
Discography
- South: Alternative Music in Christchurch 1986–1988 Compilation (1987, Failsafe Records)