Calling for Heroes

Buy 'SPACE AND TIME' EP:
Biography:
On a cold and dreary April morning in the year 2007, Neil was gazing into the evening's night sky contemplating how he could get noticed and become a drummer in a world class band? Armed with Dairy Milk and Phil Collins gently serenading him via the wonders of iPod it suddenly hit him. Without a second thought he shot up from his park bench, tearing the old newspapers that clung to his body and ran to his car....realising he had no car he quickly mounted his skateboard and headed down to the local fancy dress shop where he comfortably slipped into his gorilla costume which appeared to fit him like white on rice! and, like something out of Mr Benn, he felt alive, like he had been cast into the tropical rain forests of Africa.....
While he was admiring his own reflection, beating his chest & holding aloft his golden drum sticks he noticed a faint purple figure nearing ever closer to him...
MEANWHILE....
Lingering around the custard creams at ASDA HQ, Nige had only one thing on his mind, How could he become a guitarist in a world class band?.... and with amazing backing vocals!... @ that moment he could hear a faint & distant voice, 'If you build it, they will come'..He glanced around and with no sign of Kevin Costner, and without thought for his £1 coin imprisoned within his trolley or even his wife, who 5 minutes previous had gone to hunt down the cheese strings, abandoned all, and with haste hurried to the car park destination - HOME.....
....Back at the mysterious Fancy Dress Shop, run by an equally mysterious fez-wearing Shopkeeper, Neil stared in disbelief at the giant purple dinosaur which stood before him, who also went by the name of...Wes. They exchanged polite greetings as only a gorilla and dinosaur do on a Saturday evening, then engaged in conversation about how they have become bored of dressing up at the weekends & feel they are destined for so much more... They hung up their costumes for the last time and left the shop with an overwhelming feeling of emptiness...
Meanwhile back at ASDA HQ... ' *BiNg bOnG* 'Would Nigel Allcock please come to customer services located at the front of the store, that's Nigel Allcock to customer services...Thank you....*BiNg bOnG* '
Nigel sat at his computer, endlessly searching the depths of his brain box for the right names, the right ideas...typing away as if nothing else mattered, hours & hours later as if my magic, there it was, the finished article... a website that would bring other sites like it to a standstill, worthy of a Nobel prize and render all others obsolete... CallingforHeroes.com was born.... He placed ads in the deepest darkest corners of the world, from the tree houses of the Brazilian rainforests to every igloo and internet cafe in the North Pole....and even across the English channel to France.... He sat back and all he could do was wait... ' If you build it, they will come'...
Back at home Wes was faced with an evening of nothing, he turned on his computer only to find a mysterious email waiting in his inbox..right underneath the one for Viagra at discount prices and the Chairman of a company in Hong Kong wanting to tranfere 4Million UK pounds into his account for safe keeping....It was a notification, from a website, searching for those looking to fulfill their lives in bands..He clicked, he waited, then he searched.. He read of a man looking for members to form an elite band of four, under the name Calling for Heroes.. He clicked to view the site and there, before him, was his destiny...
Whilst Neil walked back to his bench, he reached into his jeans pocket and there he found a scrap of newspaper which had found its way there from earlier that day. It was an article simply saying.. Band members wanted with a number below... Luckily that morning he had been busking with his Tambourine and had earned himself a tidy 78p...was he to use it to make the call that would change his Sundays forever, or was he to buy a Ginsters Pasty and some fruit pastels to fulfill his need for food......?
'You've got mail'....Nige clicked on the email, anxiously waiting for it to open, he knew as soon as he read it he had found two of his four....*RiNg rInG* At that very moment the phone rang, He didn't even need to pick it up (He did though, obviously!) as he knew, he just knew this would be number three...He spoke to his newly found drummer, who was to be from this moment on, named.....Neil.
...And just so you know, Nige never did get his £1 back......Sometimes, Something's are definitely worth the sacrifice!
Once united the three stood strong, however still lingering was still that lingering feeling of emptiness. Not only as a band but also in their songs! They needed more, they needed bass…
A few months later on a cold November day…
Whilst out one day on a trip to the local zoo, Wes and Neil were becoming extremely frustrated at Nigel’s constant and rather sudden requests for ice cream. Now, they knew that if they gave in to him, this would teach Nigel that every time he cried for something he would indeed get his own way, not too far from his pre-band existence according to sources which shall remain anonymous for legal reasons, Wes and Neil reluctantly gave in. All they needed to now do was locate the magical Van of Happiness… They could hear in the distance, the chimes ringing out and set course, past the monkeys, the reptile house and Steve the Llama they went, the sound becoming louder as they neared ever closer..
‘Yes gentleman what can I get for you’…. There stood Simon, framed by his little sliding window and menu of dreams, standing, in his long white overalls, clutching in his hands the tools of his trade, the foundations of which his business ultimately rely on, In his left the raspberry sauce and in his right, held oh so proudly for all the kids to see, his Hundreds and Thousands… What a sight to behold.
They all knew at that moment that Mr Whippy was to become their missing link, the flake in their ice cream. There wasn’t much room aboard his van but at a squeeze they were all in and on their way… It was but a sea of Funny Feet, Screw Balls and Feasts as they sped towards there destiny…Where would the little white van take them!?…Who knows!? But it was gonna be one hell of a ride…

Gallery:
intake leisure photos by Ian Makinson, rest by WAGS and roadies!
Reviews:

Tuesday, 10th March 2009, Surface Unsigned - Live Review
The first band of the night was Nottingham based four-piece Calling For Heroes. Their sound is anthemic, melody driven Indie-Rock that draws influence from both British and American contemporary sources. Having written some excellent material with strong, catchy choruses and intelligent lyrics the band has found a direction that really works for them and shows some real potential. Live they were tight yet relaxed throughout an impressive performance that set a high standard for the other acts to follow.
To find out more about the band, or to hear their demos, visit www.myspace.com/callingforheroes
Written by Stephen Hudyba and taken from the Surface Unsigned Website
Friday, 2nd February 2009, Space and Time Worldwide EP Release
WITH Space And Time marking this debut for this Nottingham quartet, it is a firm stride towards recognition that this band certainly deserve, having been together only a mere twelve months, this four piece are already generating excitement.
Straying towards a much more commercial rock sound The Envious Few is a delicious opener with driving guitars and enjoyable melodies to boot. Sounding similar to the Smashing Pumpkins in their Siamese Dream era, Calling For Heroes have a sound which is captivating and at the same time distinctive. Acoustic led Space And Time, sounds monumental and certainly makes this EP memorable. With each track presented with dedication and passion, this impressive EP is a demonstration of a band on the up.
Verdict: 4/5
Matthew Smith
This is Nottingham Website
Friday, 15th August 2008, Raw and Edgy
Local rock band Calling For Heroes take obvious influence from Manchester rockers Oasis.
With acoustics gently strumming the background and anthemic choruses, they know a good song or two.
Opening track Envious Few kicks things off in spectacular style with up-tempo beats and guitar riffs galore.
The raw and edgy sound provides a great fold for Wes Howes' impressive vocals.
If you ever fancy climbing on a table, wrapping your tie round your head and pulling off some awesome air guitar antics, then this is the song to soundtrack your musical outburst!
Echoing guitars and acoustic guitars provide the backing track for the more emotional title track Space and Time.
Final track Frequency wouldn't have sounded out of place right at the end of Definitely Maybe.
If Champagne Supernova rings your bell, you'll enjoy this, guaranteed. Three great tracks from a down-to-earth band.
REVEREND ROSS ( The Derbyshire Times ).
Tuesday, May 27, 2008 Calling For Heroes: Space And Time
Dragging in influences from today's crop of Brit rock bands it won't be long before this determined foursome quickly gain momentum. With infectious melodies and fine production this three track e.p. is boosted quickly by the bands exceptional talent and drive for success. Despite lapsing in creativity from time to time, astounding instrumental sections and soaring melodies is what gives this release its real splendour.
It is the tranquil finale of Frequency with haunting harmonies that really show this quartet in their element and also brings a polished finish to an exciting record. There are major points lost along the way through a similarity between track styles, this is an enthusiastic effort and is definitely worth a listen.
*** ½
MATTHEW SMITH ( Nottm Evening Post Essential Guide ).
Tuesday, June 17, 2008 Calling For Heroes: Live The Intake, Mansfield
...local band Calling For Heroes who have been formed from the ashes of 8LivesDown by guitarist Nigel Allcock.
Not wanting to sit back while the band went their seperate ways, he set about putting together a new project which is taking the bulls by the horns.
Citing influences such as Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Keane and The Verve, CFH have a sound inkeeping with what is popular right now but with a heavier edge at times.
Vocally, there's a David Gray sound to Wes' voice but musically think a fuller, less dull (personal opinion, you understand) Coldplay. A good band who are tight and polished. Hopefully more will be heard from the quartet.
The Hipster (with thanks to Stu for major input) - Quoted from The Chad ( www.chad.co.uk/news )
thursday 26th June 2008
Ananova Coldplay news and Calling for Heroes
Past Shows:
02/02/2008: The Railway, Long Eaton
08/02/2008: Town Mill, Mansfield
29/02/2008: Glo Bar, Nottingham Trent Uni, Nottingham
16/03/2008: Mansfield 103.2FM, Mansfield
19/03/2008: Black Market, Warsop
19/04/2008: Intake Leisure, Mansfield
03/05/2008: The Beat, BBC Radio Notts, Lincs, Derbys, Leics -Midlands
31/05/2008: The Beat, BBC Radio Notts, Lincs, Derbys, Leics -Midlands
01/06/2008: Mansfield 103.2FM, Mansfield
14/06/2008: Intake Leisure, Mansfield
17/06/2008: Town Mill, Mansfield
27/06/2008: The Kestrel, Ripley
28/06/2008: Park Yacht Inn, Nottingham
28/06/2008: The Broken Wheel, Retford
01/07/2008: The Maze, Nottingham
09/07/2008: Black Market, Warsop
12/07/2008: The Kesteral, Marehay, Ripley
12/07/2008: Mansfield 103.2fm, Mansfield
13/07/2008: The Loft, Nottingham
15/07/2008: The Monkey Run, Ripley
02/08/2008: Party in the Park , Mansfield
23/08/2008: Malt Shovel, Grantham
11/09/2008: Town Mill, Mansfield
11/09/2008: Mansfield 103.2fm, Mansfield
19/09/2008: Newcastle Arms, Retford
06/11/2008: The Diamond, Sutton-in-Ashfield
05/12/2008: The Town Mill, Mansfield
20/12/2008: The Beat, BBC Radio Notts, Lincs, Derbys, Leics -Midlands
21/12/2008: The Diamond, Sutton-in-Ashfield
10/01/2009: Saturday Breakfast, Mansfield 103.2fm
19/02/2009: The Culture SHow, Mansfield 103.2fm
07/03/2009: Surface Unsigned, The Flapper, Birmingham
29/03/2009: Bold Forester, Mansfield
04/04/2009: The Boot and Shoe, Ackworth
17/05/2009: The Rainbow, Birmingham
21/05/2009: The Maze, Nottingham
05/06/2009: The Town Mill, Mansfield
20/06/2009: The Rose of England, Nottingham
26/06/2009: The Vic Inn, Coalville, Leicestershire
27/06/2009: Weinfest Beer & Wine Festival, Newark, Nottinghamshire
11/07/2009: The Boat Club, Nottingham
13/07/2009: The Shed, Leicester