After the original Hempolics guitarist had his 7th kid, time came for him to duck out of the struggle…understandably. So, Leon jumped in like a pro. Well he is a pro, sessioning in for the likes of U.N.C.L.E and James Lavelle. He came in with only 2 weeks to nail our full set before we played support for the last 3 ever faithless gigs. These were big O2 Academy gigs, ending with 2 nights at Brixton Academy where Leon had been going ever since he was a young teenager. It must have all been pretty surreal for the lad; getting asked to play for this band and 2 weeks later walking down the road on a bright April sunny day from his house in Hern Hill, with his guitar on his back, to one of the most significant venues of his life, to play in front of a packed to the brim, 4000 strong crowd. Especially as the set finishes with Early in the Morning where he gets to play a 32 bar solo, showing everyone what a true legend he is. Sounds like a dream, but it was real. He nailed it, no trouble, getting it all perfect, life saver. After this the feeling was mutual, we wanted him to be a permanent member and he was happy to become part of the Hempolics gang.
There was already a link with Leon anyway. Him and Dandelion play together in another band The Drop. They’ve been jamming out together for a while in this band, playing conscious roots reggae. The Hempolics and The Drop compliment each other, part of the same big family promoting reggae and realness in Britain.