Cardiff based experimental rock 3 piece, We’re No Heroes are set for great things. The band’s musical output of 2 EP’s and a handful of singles, absolutely refuse’s to be pigeonholed, each release has been different. Last single ‘Ghost Coast’, for me has a Joy Division meets MuteMath feel, but speak to someone else and they will tell you they hear something completely different in the WNH sound.
From funk, to math rock, melded with dancey beats, this band really do offer up something quite unique. We spoke to the band just after playing the SWN presents show at Cardiff’s Moon Club to tell us about the band.
Who are you and what do you do? Â
Tom: We are We’re No Heroes and we’re a band from Cardiff.
Dewey: We’re a 3 piece, there’s Tom who plays guitar, Luke on Drums and myself on Bass, we all sing and do various other things.
Where did the bands name come from? Â
Dewey: In a deep dream one night while in Chicago Luke came up with it. It summed us up quite well, what we do and who we are.
How did you get started? Â
Tom: We first got together in Chicago at a studio we rented out for the summer, Luke moved back over to the UK and we wrote a load of songs and still continue to do so.
Luke: At first we were sending ideas transatlantically to eachother. We liked what we had and decided to get together and do something with them. Thats when Dewey & TC came over to Chicago and we lay down those ideas in the studio there.
What have you got going on at the moment? Â
Tom: We’ve just played a packed headline show in Cardiff and now we’ll spend the year touring and writing music, generally enjoying life and having a laugh.
Dewey: We still have a fair amount of gigs lined up this year whilst trying to write new songs for a potential release.
Favourite music and why? Â
Tom: At the moment probably the fringes of electronic music in its many varied forms but we all have different tastes so its hard to pick or stick to one particular thing. Personally though, anything Nicolas Jaar is involved with at the moment.
Dewey: Anything with a good dancy feel because it gets the blood pumping.
Luke: Yeah, we’re all into different sounds and they change constantly along with the ever flowing rivers of music. Iv’e recently found myself going back on some classic stuff too. Hendrix’s first two albums for example.
Favourite book and why? Â
Dewey: The Bro Code, its not just a book. its a way of life.
Tom: The Bro Code, because its an inside joke.
Luke: The Bro Code, I never leave home without it!
Favourite film and why? Â
Dewey: At the moment it’s got to be Drive, its pretty but brutal at the same time.
Luke: Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke, those film’s have this unique warmth to them while still maintaining an edginess. Kind of how good music should be.
Tom: Anything by the Coen Brothers pre-2001, Barton Fink is probably my favourite.. I think a lot of creative types could relate to the devil being your own mind and that.
Best experience in the business? Â
Luke: Playing to a crowd who are not only dancing with all they got but are singing their heart out along with us to our songs.
Why should soundscape readers care?
Luke: Because we have fun making music and hope people have fun listening to it.
Tom: Life is for living, don’t die regretting that you never listened to every band that ever existed!
Tell our readers an interesting fact about your band? Â
Tom: We do maths equations in our spare time, sometimes we’ll draw a pie chart.. but only if a furious debate calls for it.
Dewey: The very first time we got together to play our instruments was in a factory in the middle of nowhere.
Luke: TC & Dewey are related, I’m like their step-brother so you could say we’re a happy family.
What’s the best and worst things about touring? Â
Luke: The greatest thing is the people who come to our gigs, the worst is leaving a stage and saying goodbye.
Dewey: Best thing about touring is seeing new places. The worst is carrying equipment!
Tom: Best – playing to people, worst – playing to no one.
Most embarrassing thing to happen to you while in the band?
Tom: When we forget to wear belts onstage, that never goes well!
What’s your writing and recording process? Â
Tom: We usually meet up and jam for 4 hours, record it, listen back to it, jam around the best bits for a further 4 hours, record it, listen back to it.. then write melodies, lyrics, question what we’re doing, forget everything, have a party, then go to our shrink Jordan Andrews of Ripefruit Recording to reassure us that we’re not psychotic idiots.
Luke: All vibes go off like sparks from our studio’s electrical supply, nothing is discouraged, from the heart and in the soul. Keep it raw.
What inspires you?
Dewey: The Fans, they always inspire us to improve.
Tom: Being at a laptop with the curtains closed while listening to 500GB of songs on my hardrive while entering a world of total mindful disintegration and self indulgence.
Luke: Colours & feels. Extremes & numbs. Purity, people and the oceans. All these can be found in WNH.
Best thing about coming from Wales?
Tom: Feeling like your in a community/culture that has a history/heritage of music/art and cares for creative output, everyone we have met, shared their positive vibes and given us opportunities that we never thought we would have got when we first started out.
Dewey: The best thing is the people, they are friendlier than most. They always give off a good atmosphere at gigs.
Luke: Definitely, In a way, as music is a large part of our culture we have something to aspire to, a drive to prove we can attain what we want to attain. However, the best thing about welsh music is its honesty.
Who are your heroes?
Luke: Those people who champion our sounds and buy our records. They’re the heroes…
Dewey: …and Bill Murray.
Tom: ..and Scarlett Johansson
Hardest thing about the current business? Â
Tom: Getting up at 8am everyday
Dewey: Being noticed amongst all the other music is tough sometimes. There are a lot of great acts out there!
Luke: The loss of faith the big players have in their own system, it seems they put faith into the quick buck instead of nurturing and helping maintain the long careers of musicians who dedicate their lives to what they do.
Favourite Batman actor?
Tom: Adam West from Family Guy.
Luke: Jason Hatch from Father’s 4 Justice! Every time!
Dewey: Clooney, no doubt.
www.werenoheroes.com
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