LZ7

After the Tribe, a Manchester-based Christian dance ensemble, disbanded in 2004, Lindz West launched LZ7 the next year. Working chiefly with the Message Trust charity at the outset, the project aimed to support and uplift schoolchildren throughout Britain. Their first album, Ruckus, surfaced that same year on the Survivor Christian label. In 2006 the group supplied tracks for two youth-focused Christian releases: the DVD Deep, which earned a Gold Award at the Christian Broadcast Council Annual Media Awards, and the album Start Something. Live appearances continued into 2007, including a prominent slot on the Hope Revolution tour shared with thebandwithnoname and tbc.

An early version of “This Little Light” appeared on the 2007 Gasoline EP; a later remix reached number 26 on the UK charts and number four on the indie charts. That remix was included on the 2010 album Light, released to coincide with the Light Tour, during which the band played festivals and evangelistic school events across the country. The touring lineup then comprised West on lead vocals, drummer Rob Evans, singer and dancer Nana Ntiamoah, and Nic Scholey, formerly of Manchester Christian band BlushUK.

A burst of international touring followed, along with the single “27 Million,” recorded with worship leader Matt Redman and peaking at number 12 in the UK. Redman returned for the 2013 album Aftershow, which also featured a rotating roster of guests across a range of styles. Early in 2015 the members disclosed that work had begun on a new set provisionally titled #LZ7Album5. Issued in 2016 as Home, the record carried production credits for Solomon Olds, formerly of Family Force Five, as well as Phenomenon and Cassell the Beatmaker. The video for lead single “So Good” premiered in November 2015, with the title track “Home” arriving as the follow-up single in April 2016.