We're No Heroes
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We're No Heroes (often abbreviated WNH) are a three-piece band from
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
, Wales, composed of Tom Collins, Michael Owen, and Luke Llewellyn. They first formed in the summer of 2009 at a downtown South Side recording studio in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
, US. Their debut record ''Crossing Over'' was a demo released for free in February 2010 in the UK and the US. The band's debut EP, ''Quiet Colours'', was recorded late February 2011 and released on 15 June. Their music influences are widely varied due to the different musical backgrounds of the members. However, they have been said to have a funky take on angular ’80s indie and zeitgeist-snaring math rock, playing spot on angular fast paced guitar tunes, which have been compared to other bands such as
A Certain Ratio A Certain Ratio (abbreviated as ACR) are an English post-punk band formed in 1977 in Flixton, Greater Manchester by Peter Terrell (guitar, electronics) and Simon Topping (vocals, trumpet), with additional members Jez Kerr (bass, vocals), Martin ...
,
Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...
,
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, and
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, to name a few.


History


Formation (2009 - 2013)

In mid 2009, the band started writing and recording for a limited edition demo EP, originally writing 12 new songs, of which only six made the officially released version. The Demo EP titled ''Crossing Over'' (inspired by their journey across the US) was completely self-produced, recorded and released through their own studio called Quarter Studios in Langland Bay,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. The band released ''Crossing Over'' as a free download along with the lead single "Life Out Loud". Tom has stated multiple times during various interviews that although they were happy with their work, their identity and sound was not yet fully realized. The album was a commercial success in their local area of the United Kingdom, with large download numbers and highly praised reviews across the board. On 20 November 2010, We're No Heroes signed to At Your Own Risk, a five-year strong indie label established in
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
. On 6 January 2012, the band was named as one of the top Welsh bands predicted to make a stir in 2012 by Wales Online & ''The Echo News'' paper. In February 2011, the band entered Ripefruit Recording Studio to start work on their second EP, ''Quiet Colours''. The record was produced by Jordan Andrews and mastered at Hafod Mastering Studio. The EP was released worldwide on 15 June 2011. In June 2012, the three piece released a single titled "Ghost Coast" accompanied by the b side "Aerials". It was a slight departure from their indie techno infusion and leaned towards sounds grounded in funk and 1980s new wave music. In October 2012, We're No Heroes played Swn Festival alongside acts such as
Egyptian Hip Hop Egyptian hip hop is a form of hip hop music in Egypt that draws inspiration from both regional and global events. History Hip-Hop music reached Egypt when Andrew A. El-Sayid (OsamaBinRappin), a rapper from West Covina, California took Dr. Dr ...
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Pulled Apart By Horses Pulled Apart by Horses are an English alternative rock band from Leeds. They formed in early 2008. The band were signed by Transgressive Records in 2009, and released their debut self-titled album '' Pulled Apart by Horses'' on 21 June 2010. I ...
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Django Django Django Django are a British art rock band based in London, England. Formed in 2009, the band has released four studio albums starting with their self-titled debut in 2012. Their latest album '' Glowing in the Dark'' was released on 12 February 2 ...
and many more. In January 2013, the band released a single titled "Distort The Air", that lead to worldwide support and national attention of their music from the likes of
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance ...
,
BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...
,
BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Welsh radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the 'Radio 4 Wales' opt-out service (previously the Welsh Home Service). Radio Wales b ...
,
Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British fashion brand for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS o ...
playlists and since have appeared on bills alongside bands such as Catfish and the Bottlemen,
Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...
, Tall Ships,
Dutch Uncles Dutch Uncles are an English indie pop band from Marple, England. They are known for their use of atypical time signatures within a pop context, and the androgynous vocals of frontman Duncan Wallis. Biography Originally from Marple, the band s ...
, Public Service Broadcasting,
Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
, Chlöe Howl, Tom Odell, The Amazons and many more.


''SHIVER'' and Spiral Icon (2014 - present)

In 2014, WNH signed to Spiral Icon and released the EP, ''SHIVER'', followed by a full national tour, support slots on Peace's UK tour and multiple national and international airplay including that of BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 Music again. In July 2015, We're No Heroes had been selected as BBC Artist Of The Week in Wales and released a new single and music video titled "Voodoo" on 31 July, followed by a national tour. As of February 2016, We're No Heroes were signed as one of BBC Horizons project Artists leading to a national tour of major festival slots. In January 2017, the band entered
Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1 ...
to record live sessions for BBC Radio 1. On 1 September 2017, "Youth" was released as a new single.


Band members

* Tom Collins – Vocals, Guitar * Michael Owen – Vocals, Bass * Luke Llewellyn – Vocals, Drums


Discography


EPs


Singles


References

{{Authority control Welsh rock music groups Welsh indie rock groups Musical groups from Cardiff