When you loved me so
I couldn't do wrong
And now you need to know"
The Heavy are an English rock band from Bath, Somerset. They consist of vocalist Kelvin Swaby, guitarist Dan Taylor, bassist Spencer Page, and drummer Chris Ellul. Their music is best-described as an eclectic blend of neo soul, indie rock, funk, and blues.
They are best known for some catchy songs used in various media,
namely "How You Like Me Now?" and "Short Change Hero", both of which come from their 2009 sophomore album The House That Dirt Built. The former is an upbeat song that was made prominent to American audiences when it was used in a 2010 Super Bowl commercial for the Kia Sorento that featured children's toys (among them a sock monkey and a Yo Gabba Gabba! character) going for a night on the town as if they were adults. It was also used in The Fighter, Entourage, Community, Rookie Blue, and at least three racing games: Driver: San Francisco,* Forza Horizon 2,* and The Crew.* The latter is much more moody in sound, and was used for the film Faster starring Dwayne Johnson and a trailer for Batman: Arkham City. Both songs are also used in the 2012 video game, Borderlands 2. "What Makes a Good Man" was also used as the credits theme for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!, serving as an appropriate ending to that game's story of a Fallen Hero. "How You Like Me Now?" was also used as the credits theme for Knack. A remixed "How You Like Me Now?" was used in the game LittleBigPlanet 3 and a smooth jazz cover of "Short Change Hero" can be heard in Poker Night 2 (which has Borderlands characters appearing).
Unrelated to the other Heavy, or a plot-driving villain.
Discography:
- Great Vengeance and Furious Fire (2007)
- The House That Dirt Built (2009)
- The Glorious Dead (2012)
- Hurt & the Merciless (2016)
- Sons (2019)
- Amen (2023)
This ain't no place for no troper:
- Cover Version: The band ended up doing a version of the song "And When I Die", originally by Blood Sweat and Tears, for the season four finale of the HBO series True Blood.
- Do Wrong, Right: The point of Curse Me Good, if you're going to curse someone out, at least do it well.
- Genre Roulette: Their album The House That Dirt Built ranges from garage rock ("Oh No Not You Again!") to soul ("Short Change Hero") to reggae ("Cause for Alarm"). The Glorious Dead dabbles in all of the above to a degree, ranging from cheerful, stereotypical indie rock ("Curse Me Good"), orchestral rock ("Same Ol'" and "Can't Play Dead"), Rockabilly and gospel ("Lonesome Road"), and throws in a Motown number.
- My Nayme Is: Kelvin, not Kevin.
- Self-Backing Vocalist: On several songs.
- The Movie Buff: Their most recent albums open with clips from horror movie trailers, and their freshman effort pulls its title from Pulp Fiction. Beyond that, they have musical references to Ennio Morricone here and there, especially "Short Change Hero".
- Title-Only Chorus: "How You Like Me Now?"
