singled out - legs electric's wanna riot

Ama and Laura recount how they wrote the basics of the band's latest single "Wanna Riot" in antiMusic's "Singled Out" feature. 

Today Legs Electric singer Ama Quinsee and guitarist Laura McCormack tell us the story behind their brand new hard rockin' single "Wanna Riot" as they prepare to rock with KISS legend Ace Frehley next week. Here is the story:

Ama Quinsee (vocals): The title of the song Wanna Riot was inspired by a denim jacket that I saw hanging in a rock 'n' roll store in downtown Perth. The phrase "Wanna Riot" was stitched on the back and I immediately thought that it would make for a great chorus to a song, such striking words and a call to action. I purchased the jacket and was reminded of my partner in crime Trease Riot, and that spawned the idea to write a song about our crazy nights out on the town running riot. We went through a period where we would get ready to go out together at my place, and we had a ritual of pre-drinks and listening to some killer tunes to get us in the mood. It would then be off to a show or club to let down our hair and forget the week's frustrations that always involved the usual suspects: work, not having any money, relationships with boys and the stresses of life in general. The concept for Wanna Riot was based on my adventures with Trease and our wanting to rebel against all our frustrations with our lives at the time.

From there it didn't take me long to finish the lyrics to the song, and a week later I took my lyrics to a jam with guitarist Laura McCormack - who had just written the perfect riff for the song while she was away on holiday in the UK.

After Laura and I came up with a basic musical framework for the song, we brought in the rhythm sisters Kylie and Abby Soanes to complete the song's arrangement. This is the first song that we've written where my vocals start the song - I have to remember that when we play it live and I'm still getting used to that!

I think Wanna Riot has almost become the Legs Electric anthem; with its hard hitting riffs and lyrics that hopefully motivate and inspire people to take control of their lives. I think this song really speaks to people these days, with the ever-growing pressures of life and the constant need to let it out and riot!

Laura McCormack (guitar): It was a cold and rainy afternoon on New Years Day 2014 in England, and I was staying at the house where my dad had grown up. I hadn't been back there in 18 years; and I was sitting there in his old bedroom where he first learned how to play guitar. I was feeling inspired, and I picked up a Gibson SG that my uncle had loaned me for the trip and I started to play. There was a dust-covered amp in the corner of the room that hadn't been used since my dad left home, so I turned it on and plugged in the guitar and continued to play. I had an idea for a riff that had been in my head since I arrived at the house that week for Christmas, and I started to work with it a bit. I played through it a few times, and it wasn't long before I came up with the rest of the music around the riff.

When I arrived back in Australia after the holidays, I took the music to a jam with Ama to get her thoughts on it. It just so happened that she had recently seen the jacket with "Wanna Riot" on it and she had been inspired to use the phrase in lyrics for a song. Within an hour of playing her the riff and music, the song was pretty much written and Wanna Riotwas born!