There Goes My Hero

Bands just don't tour like they used to. In this age of over-saturation and online infatuation, it's often possible to get more mileage from a single choice show than can be achieved by months of work on the road, hitting lesser-known spots and then slowly building a reputation in the capital cities or overseas. The old adage of hardened rock dogs taking their show to the people for months at a time and coming back a success is getting closer and closer to extinction. Thank the good dude, then, for bands like Heroes For Hire. Seasoned veterans of the touring circuit, these Sydney-based pop punksters have been grinding it out the hard way for the last two years, and in a heartening example of gumption paying off, are now seeing it pay off big time. Shows across not just Australia but Japan, China and Thailand attest to this and, according to lead singer Brad Smith, it's the realisation of a long-held dream.

“Touring in a band is what we've wanted to do since we were little kids,” Smith says, brimming with enthusiasm. “We've got this chance now to do it, so we just have to make it work. Not many people have the opportunity to do what they've always wanted to do, and we've got that chance now, so we're going to make the most of it while we can.”

One such example of the manifestation of this dream was realised when Heroes For Hire were invited to tour the country as part of the prestigious Soundwave festival earlier this year. Sharing a bill with the likes of Bad Religion, Limp Bizkit and Marilyn Manson is not something that happens every day, so it's nice to hear that when the opportunity came up, Heroes For Hire were ready. “Man, when I started a band at 17, I never expected that I'd ever go on a tour with Slipknot,” he says. “There was like 100 bands on that tour – it was just crazy. This is nerdy as, but I ended up taking my Tom Delonge (of Blink 182 and Angels & Airwaves fame) signature guitar, which I bought when I was a kid, on the entire tour with me. I don't even play guitar – I just sing – but I lugged this guitar around and only got the confidence when I was in Perth to get him to sign it. That was a massive fanboy moment for me.”

One bonus of living in one of the most isolated cities in the world is that many of the festivals actually end in Perth. Soundwave is no exception and the tales of the after-party have been spreading far and wide all year. Unfortunately for Smith though, it seems he had a bit too much of a good time. “I don't even remember the after-party, man,” he laughs. “It was in this weird Vegas-looking bar. I don't have any stories though. I remember waking up at the place we were staying, walking into the bathroom and trying to dance because I thought we were still at the club. I kind of wish I had paid a bit more attention now.”

For many bands, as their schedule fills up and weekend gigs turn into weeks away, the double-edged sword of family commitments and obligations come into sharp focus. Unfortunately, this has been the case of late for Heroes For Hire. A few days before their recent East Coast tour in support of American pop punk stalwarts Yellowcard, the band was forced to replace their drummer and guitarist. “We were so stoked to get that Yellowcard tour, they were a band we grew up with and they were just unbelievable – seeing them every night was amazing,” Smith explains. “But yeah, just before that started it we lost our guitarist and drummer. Our drummer has two kids, a mortgage and a girlfriend so he just couldn't afford to be on the road anymore. We're going to be away for ten of the next 12 months and he obviously wants to be with his kids, which I think is fair enough. We've always said that family comes first. Alex, our guitarist, also had to leave due to some family issues so we kind of had to adapt and deal with it.”

You know what they say though; when the going gets tough, the tough find some new band members, which is exactly what Heroes For Hire did. Rather than wallowing in self-pity and bemoaning their lot, the remainder of the band moved on and hired two close friends to fill the recently vacated positions. “We got two new dudes who'd actually been with the band for a long, long time, since day one. They've either been teching or filling in as needed so it hasn't actually changed the dynamic of the band that much. We're not going to slow down and we need guys who are able to keep up with us and keep us where we're at.”

Keeping up with touring is one thing, but inevitably it's the songs and the albums that put bums on seats. Heroes For Hire were well aware of this so, for their third record –­­ the recently released No Apologies – they spared no expense in enlisting the help of US punk legend Steve Klein, of New Found Glory fame, to man the producer's chair. “We just shot Steve an email, sent him our demos and he was really into it,” Smith details. “He was going to be in the country anyway and he was just keen to do the record. Steve just got our band, you know? It's what his band does and I think he really pushed us in the direction we wanted to go. He didn't take over what we do, but he just pushed us and pushed us until we did the best that he knew we could do. To have someone so influential back your band was just next level, man. It's a great privilege, we couldn't be happier that we got that chance.”

For the release of No Apologies, the band has been working with newly minted Shock Records imprint Halfcut, making them the first Australian band to have signed to the label. In contrast to any kind of shopping-around process, Smith reveals that the move was based on a previous relationship with the label, as well as a deep mutual respect. “We're not the kind of band that really fits on a major label,” he says. “We're just these crazy dudes who have a lot of fun. We don't have the perfect haircuts that the majors seem to go with. Shock have always backed us and believed in our band, so when they approached us we just said, 'You're the ones that have been with us from day one, it'd be our honour'.”

Heroes For Hire will be playing the following shows:

Saturday 6 October - Runaways, Perth WA
Sunday 7 October - Hyperfest, Perth WA
Sunday 14 October - Lilydale Showgrounds, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 27 October - Courthouse Youth Arts Centre, Geelong VIC
Saturday 1 December - The Lair, Sydney NSW