Heroes of She

3:17pm Thursday 11th September 2008

They’ve a big sound, big voices, and soon, no doubt a big following, if their debut single is anything to go by.

When I heard Heroes of She I was absolutely knocked out.

They are so different.

Tantalisingly so!

Listening to their first single Don’t Love Me I had to hold on to the office chair as the chorus swept me away on a thrilling wave of vocals akin to the Wilson sisters of Seattle rock outfit Heart.

For Heroes of She there’s no crashing guitar chords or thrashing six-string licks that fill in the gaps.

No, it’s the powerhouse combination of James Mackie’s Hammond organ and thundering beat of drummer John Elles that underpins the twin vocalising of Amy Worth and Helen Longworth.

The girls’ voices contrast superbly: sultrier maybe is Helen’s whereas for Amy, it’s her rich, sharply vibrant tone and musical theatre background that comes through.

These guys are no strangers to the business either.

James was a member of the 2-Tone legends The Selector and also played with Madness on their world tours, and TV and radio shows. His Hammond playing has shades of Deep Purple.

John played with Pete Burns’ Dead or Alive, supported Generation X and has shared the staged with bands ranging from Iron Maiden and The Clash.

Helen is a professional actress as is Amy.

Don’t Love Me is explosive material which I would imagine is absolutely electric played live.

They launch their single at The Dukes on Saturday, September 20 (7.45pm), which makes it a double celebration as the Lancaster venue is kicking off an exciting season with a new stage space, The Round, two days before HoS hit the stage.

I’m told that the band is also being tipped for the great things by top industry mogul Kevin Roberts, chief executive officer worldwide for advertising giant Saatchi and Saatchi.

He apparently lists Heroes of She among his top ten iPod sounds on his blog, which, I’m informed, is one of the most read on the Internet.

The guys kindly dropped me a copy of their debut, 13-tune CD Never Going Home,.

Which really sizzles.

Don’t Love Me is the opener.

My favourites?

Well, Nowhere Fast is a jazzy track, a sassy upbeat number with a real swinging chorus.

And another fav is Dial 9 for Love, laced with tasty Hammond licks snapping at a superb driving bass line, while Amy and Helen purr seductively over the top.

In concert I would imagine Heroes of She could be quite sensational.

Similar to the likes of the late Alex Harvey and his rock band in the 1970s, who, if I remember rightly, built a substantial following more or less on the back of constant gigging, before he started selling albums by the thousands.

He was electrifying and theatrical and for me, Heroes are in a similar vein.

Back to the album, Cold Wind Blows is an impressive vehicle for Amy and Helen’s voices – sensual and soaked in emotion.

Funky and fun, Out of my Way has enormous potential as a single.

Here though is the key word ‘potential’ – for me this track just doesn’t quite hit the mark.

It has all the ingredients of a potent mix but doesn’t come to the boil.

If it were me I’d rush back into the studio with this song and re-record it with a fuller sound – orchestration maybe - and up the production values.

There aren’t enough layers in my humble opinion.

But the song could be massive – just like the band.

The guys are definitely on the right track.

Very original, sexy and dynamic, and I love their sense of theatre.


- The Westmorland Gazette