– Hi Shop Front Heroes! Can you please start by introducing yourself to our readers and explaining the story behind your stage name?
Hi! Shop Front Heroes came from an accidentally recorded conversation on a phone in the wee hours between myself and our drummer Matt Whitehouse, when talking about forming the band, many years ago. I’m sure we had a fantastic reason for it… if only we could find the recording! Seriously though, it comes from the idea that putting yourself out there, in the window and doing your absolute utmost to be seen and get people into what you’re doing. It’s not always that easy so that’s where the Heroes element comes in. It’s in the perseverance.
– Can you share more about the inspiration behind your latest release “Caer Bryn” and what it means to you as a band?
Caer Bryn was a very big song for us in terms of its writing, its production and its arrangements. The song is about a smallholding my family used to have in Mid Wales called ‘Caer Bryn’. I started wondering what my life would be like if they still had it. Would I be working the land? Would life be simpler? All those questions. It struck me that the undertaking of the property by my family draws comparisons between our own efforts in Shop Front Heroes in the making of our debut album ‘SuperPowers’ . It’s a case of putting everything on the line for it and taking huge risks. Whether it works or not isn’t always in our hands. But you’ve got to do everything you can and try. At least then you know you’ve given it everything.
– The song features a Welsh Male Voice Choir, adding a unique layer of emotion to the song. Could you tell us more about the decision to include this element and how the collaboration came to be?
It was one of those ridiculous notions that you say out loud ‘This needs a Welsh Male Voice Choir!’ The thing is that we always follow these things up and get off on the challenge of achieving something highly unlikely to happen. Jake knew one of the members of the choir as his Dad used to sing in it. We contacted them, got hold of the conductor, and it went from there. I wrote the choral arrangement and went to rehearse it with them. A month or so later they all turned up on the bus at Rockfield Studios, sandwiches in hand and a hankering to drink loads of our beer. You’ve got to keep those vocal cords lubricated! The uniquely special element to this particular choir was that they were based just a few miles from where the property existed. Many of them know my Father and Family and remembered the place. It was an exceptionally wholesome experience and all the joking and laughs aside, it brought a tear to the eye of all involved.
– “Caer Bryn” explores the concept of ‘Hiraeth’, a Welsh word describing a deep sense of longing. How does this theme resonate with your band’s own journey and experiences in the world of music?
There’s a deep longing to get recognised for the work that we have put in and the quality of our output. The actual word Hiraeth though is definitely more to do with the sense of the land and memory itself.
– What’s your creative process like? Do you work on music as a group or does each member have a specific task along the process?
It varies, obviously, but I tend to write the songs and bring them to the band. They then get torn apart and changed, maybe put back together again after we’ve tried out what we need to. It changes a lot structurally, particularly from a drumming point of view as that’s one of the defining vibes of the song and it takes time. Matt (drums) is also excellent at writing parts you wouldn’t necessarily expect. Once we have that shell we just build it up from there. When it gets to the stage of recording we strip everything back and make sure there isn’t anything there that doesn’t need to be. We serve the song. The song is King. It rules us all.
– Can you give us a glimpse into the band’s future plans? Any upcoming projects, tours, or other exciting developments we should be on the lookout for?
We are excited to announce that our debut album SuperPowers will be out on December 1st 2023. Look out for a tour and another single release in early 2024. We are currently writing a new album so we’ve plenty to get on with. We can’t wait!
– In closing, what advice or message would you like to share with aspiring musicians who may be inspired by the dedication and passion you’ve put into your music and your journey as a band?
There’s a Japanese proverb: “Nana korobi, ya oki” which means “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” It’s written on the wall of one of the schools that I teach in and I look at it every day and take inspiration from it. Shooting from the hip though i would say ….. Never give up. Be honest. Keep writing. Believe in yourself. Do everything with passion. Be nice to people. Don’t be a dick.
Hi! Shop Front Heroes came from an accidentally recorded conversation on a phone in the wee hours between myself and our drummer Matt Whitehouse, when talking about forming the band, many years ago. I’m sure we had a fantastic reason for it… if only we could find the recording! Seriously though, it comes from the idea that putting yourself out there, in the window and doing your absolute utmost to be seen and get people into what you’re doing. It’s not always that easy so that’s where the Heroes element comes in. It’s in the perseverance.
– Can you share more about the inspiration behind your latest release “Caer Bryn” and what it means to you as a band?
Caer Bryn was a very big song for us in terms of its writing, its production and its arrangements. The song is about a smallholding my family used to have in Mid Wales called ‘Caer Bryn’. I started wondering what my life would be like if they still had it. Would I be working the land? Would life be simpler? All those questions. It struck me that the undertaking of the property by my family draws comparisons between our own efforts in Shop Front Heroes in the making of our debut album ‘SuperPowers’ . It’s a case of putting everything on the line for it and taking huge risks. Whether it works or not isn’t always in our hands. But you’ve got to do everything you can and try. At least then you know you’ve given it everything.
– The song features a Welsh Male Voice Choir, adding a unique layer of emotion to the song. Could you tell us more about the decision to include this element and how the collaboration came to be?
It was one of those ridiculous notions that you say out loud ‘This needs a Welsh Male Voice Choir!’ The thing is that we always follow these things up and get off on the challenge of achieving something highly unlikely to happen. Jake knew one of the members of the choir as his Dad used to sing in it. We contacted them, got hold of the conductor, and it went from there. I wrote the choral arrangement and went to rehearse it with them. A month or so later they all turned up on the bus at Rockfield Studios, sandwiches in hand and a hankering to drink loads of our beer. You’ve got to keep those vocal cords lubricated! The uniquely special element to this particular choir was that they were based just a few miles from where the property existed. Many of them know my Father and Family and remembered the place. It was an exceptionally wholesome experience and all the joking and laughs aside, it brought a tear to the eye of all involved.
– “Caer Bryn” explores the concept of ‘Hiraeth’, a Welsh word describing a deep sense of longing. How does this theme resonate with your band’s own journey and experiences in the world of music?
There’s a deep longing to get recognised for the work that we have put in and the quality of our output. The actual word Hiraeth though is definitely more to do with the sense of the land and memory itself.
– What’s your creative process like? Do you work on music as a group or does each member have a specific task along the process?
It varies, obviously, but I tend to write the songs and bring them to the band. They then get torn apart and changed, maybe put back together again after we’ve tried out what we need to. It changes a lot structurally, particularly from a drumming point of view as that’s one of the defining vibes of the song and it takes time. Matt (drums) is also excellent at writing parts you wouldn’t necessarily expect. Once we have that shell we just build it up from there. When it gets to the stage of recording we strip everything back and make sure there isn’t anything there that doesn’t need to be. We serve the song. The song is King. It rules us all.
– Can you give us a glimpse into the band’s future plans? Any upcoming projects, tours, or other exciting developments we should be on the lookout for?
We are excited to announce that our debut album SuperPowers will be out on December 1st 2023. Look out for a tour and another single release in early 2024. We are currently writing a new album so we’ve plenty to get on with. We can’t wait!
– In closing, what advice or message would you like to share with aspiring musicians who may be inspired by the dedication and passion you’ve put into your music and your journey as a band?
There’s a Japanese proverb: “Nana korobi, ya oki” which means “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” It’s written on the wall of one of the schools that I teach in and I look at it every day and take inspiration from it. Shooting from the hip though i would say ….. Never give up. Be honest. Keep writing. Believe in yourself. Do everything with passion. Be nice to people. Don’t be a dick.
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