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The Heavy

With their potent fusion of funk, soul, hip-hop, and gritty rock, the Heavy became a fixture in pop culture in the 2010s thanks in large part to "How You Like Me Now?," a funky vintage soul mashup that found its way into numerous films, television shows, ads, and video games. It proved to be a winning formula for the English band, who found continued success licensing other songs like "Short Change Hero" and "What Makes a Good Man?," all while producing consistently high-quality albums like 2016's Hurt & the Merciless and 2019's Sons. Known for their infectious energy on-stage as well as in the studio, they became festival favorites around the world. The Heavy returned in 2023 with their sixth album Amen. Guitarist Dan Taylor and vocalist Kelvin Swaby became friends in their hometown of Bath in the 1990s, bonding over a shared appreciation for vintage R&B and Jim Jarmusch films. Joined by bassist Spencer Page, drummer Chris Ellul, and keyboardist Hannah Collins, the two launched their own act -- the Heavy -- combining Taylor's distorted guitars with lo-fi samples, horn riffs, stomping percussion, and Swaby's soulful vocals. The band made its studio debut in 2007, releasing several singles on Counter -- a sublabel of London-based Ninja Tune -- before issuing the full-length Great Vengeance & Furious Fire that fall. An American release followed in early 2008 on the newly minted +1 Records. The Heavy returned in 2009 -- minus Collins -- with their second album, The House That Dirt Built. While not a chart hit, it vaulted the band into the mainstream through key media placements of its two singles, "Short Change Hero" and "How You Like Me Now?," the latter a Dyke & the Blazers-sampling soul romp featuring the Dap-Kings Horns. Both were widely licensed for film and television ads, and "How You Like Me Now?" became almost ubiquitous over subsequent years, eventually going gold in the U.S. Three years later, they delivered the self-produced The Glorious Dead. Recorded in Columbus, Georgia, it deepened the Heavy's connection to Southern soul and yielded a minor hit in the gritty "What Makes a Good Man?" Like its predecessor, it cracked the Billboard 200 in the U.S. The band continued to tour extensively while also benefiting from further media licensing of its songs. In 2016, the Heavy returned with their fourth studio album, Hurt & the Merciless. Another self-produced effort, this time recorded in their hometown of Bath, the album found them attempting to capture the raw energy of their live shows and earliest demos. Their first LP to chart in the U.K., it reached number 36 at home and was a success throughout Europe. After major festival stops around the world, including Coachella, SXSW, and Fuji Rock, the Heavy closed out the decade with 2019's Sons, another diverse outing that returned them to the U.S. charts, reaching number 31 on the Top Independent Albums chart. With Swaby living in the U.S. and the remaining three members in the U.K., the Heavy took their time writing and recording their next LP. Fusing gospel harmonies with '60s-influenced R&B riffs and potent rock punch, they returned in 2023 with their sixth album, the Tchad Blake-produced Amen.
© Andrew Leahey /TiVo
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