Artist: Five O' Clock Heroes, The
Label: Pias Records
Release: 2006
Five O’Clock Heroes are proof that fairy tales still exist, or at least something pretty close to one. It all started when a young guy, Antony Ellis, fed up with what was going on (or not going on) in his hometown of Northampton, decided one fine day to take a trip to New York. Obviously, where else? Well, from here on the story is a familiar one. He met a few like-minded peers, they started a band together, chased the dream and lived through some rough times, which of course made them tougher against the (inhuman) mass production machine that some also call showbusiness. And naturally, they grew up a bit when it comes to life itself, too. More aware and less starry-eyed.
The fairy-tale vibe doesn’t stop there. At least not the clichéd kind. The English-American quartet has cooked up a downright dreamy blend of all their musical influences, which the band themselves insist are wildly different. It all sounds pretty cohesive, though, both sonically and energy-wise. This is clearly a mash-up of both musical cultures, English and American. The Jam and Ramones. Talking Heads and the Clash…something along those lines. Right in the sweet spot of the freshly revived rock scene. That was surely the goal. Maybe the dream, too. But is a goal enough? Is a dream enough? The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys and others already hold the top spots on pretty similar, yet stylistically quite different, ground. Depending on your goals and dreams, of course, there’s room for everybody.
Things might get clearer if you look at the band’s name. Five O’Clock Heroes might be aiming at a totally different audience they’d like to connect with. At five in the afternoon, it’s usually the more “serious,” “responsible” folks who take some time for themselves. Whether for a cup of tea or for catching the news. That’s when Five O’Clock Heroes might just turn into real heroes, because all the bands listed above make their music and image for that “other” crowd, whose “hot” time slot usually comes well after five.
Lineup
Antony Ellis – vocals and guitar
Elliot Thompson – guitar and vocals
Nader Kheirbek – bass guitar
Sam Embery – drums
Production
Eli Janney
Tracklist
01. Head Games
02. Anybody Home
03. Time On My Hands
04. Run To Her
05. Want Your Number
06. Good Lovers
07. Skin Deep
08. Corpotrate Boys
09. Stay The Night
10. White Girls
11. In Control
12. Got To Give It Up
Album length: 40.21
