Underhand Heroes are an awesome punk band out of the UK. They have an awesome live set and have shared the stage with some awesome punk bands (would you beleive the Fiend!). They have also released a great album. I got Karl to tell their story...
Introduce yourself…
Im Karl, bassist and lead singer for Underhand Heroes. Completing the band is my brother Adam on lead guitar, John on rhythm guitar and Shawsy on drums
How did the band start?
We started three and a half years ago, mainly out of boredom. I'd previously been in a band (which i was kicked out of) and we wanted to make the kind of music that we loved, instead of doing what was popular at the time and, to be quite honest, there was really nothing else to do!
How did you come up with the name?
In our relatively short time together as a band weve been through three different names, Underhand Heroes was originally suggested as a possible song title but when we decided to change our name (from Fratricide) we wanted something that people would remember and Underhand Heroes just kind of stuck.
Who would you say are your influences?
Our individual influences are quite varied, from bands like the Ramones, Stiff Little Fingers and the Misfits to Metallica and Journey.
What is the punk scene like in the UK?
It varies from place to place, the scene in our particular part of the country (north-east england) has its good and bad points, theres a tight knit community of bands that really support each other as well as some fantastic fans, but it can sometimes be difficult to get decent promoters and venues to take on punk bands, weve been turned away from venues in the past when theyve found out the type of music we play.
Describe the song writing process...
Most (but not all) of the lyrics are written by myself and it usually consists of locking ourselves in a room and trying out different riffs and chord progressions until we find something that fits and then Shawsy will improvise the drums until weve got something that we're all happy with. We try to keep things quite relaxed and light hearted most of the time, just to ease the monotony of going over the same thing over and over again.
You released 'English Dreams and Harebrained Schemes', tell us about the album...
To be completely honest, looking back, the release was probably a bit premature, it was recorded with our old singer and was mainly just so we had something people could take away from our gigs so they would remember us. Dont get me wrong, im happy with the album and it was a great experience and lots of fun to record but it really isnt as good as it should have been and thats something that weve learned from as a band
What else have you released?
We are currently putting the finishing touches to our new E.P which should be ready in the next week or two.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Weve played quite a few shows with The Fiend who are regarded as pioneers of the punk scene in the north east in the early 80's and we played a show last year with Bastard Squad from Australia.
Do you prefer to do shows at large venues or small clubs?
Personally i prefer smaller venues, i think punk gigs are best when the crowd are going crazy only a few feet away from you!
Have you toured?
We havent toured yet, but we are in the early stages of planning a small U.K tour alongside a few other local bands.
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We love playing with The Fiend because theyre a great group of guys and the crowd is always really energetic, but there are two local bands who are very close friends, Low Ebbe and The Raging Sickness, we've been doing shows with these guys for nearly 3 years and theyre like brothers to us!
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
The venue isnt that important to us, we'll play absolutely anywhere, as long as the crowd is up for a good time.
What do you see is the future of Underhand Heroes?
Definitely a U.K tour in the near future and hopefully getting a bit further from home very soon. We arent one of those bands that is solely focused on getting a record deal and being famous, we just want to play with new bands, make new friends and hopefully pick up a few extra fans along the way.
How can people contact the band?
They can contact us through Facebook (just search Underhand Heroes) or alternatively they can contact me directly at karl_dav1@hotmail.com.
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