Hell Is For Heroes

• Justin Schlosberg - vocals
• William McGonagle - guitar
• Tom O'Donoghue - guitar
• James Findlay - bass
• Joe Birch - drums

Once the onslaught of the Nu Metal movement had begun to die down, a handful of less overtly commercial-sounding rock acts from both sides of the Atlantic began to edge into the spotlight. Tightly-knit thanks to a relentless tour schedule on which many of the bands - Hundred Reasons, Reuben and Biffy Clyro, to name but a few - revolved headline slots and generally played every shack calling itself a venue in the nation. Initially, the mainstream music press were cautious with their coverage, but as time developed the bands built up truly diehard fanbases and inked deals with proper record labels like Beggars Banquet (Biffy Clyro) and Columbia (Hundred Reasons).

Hell Is For Heroes were the tortoise to the others' hare. Formed from the ashes of ace Britrock teenagers Symposium, Will McGonagle and Joe Birch dug out their phonebooks and got into contact with old schoolfriends James Findlay and Tom O'Donoghue. Eventually recruiting singer Justin Schlosberg to complete the line-up, the band released their own single, a home recorded version of 'Sick/Happy', before signing to EMI/Chrysalis. The label wisely kept the album under wraps for a few months, while their live reputation built up and a brace of singles kept the public interested.

Finally, in February 2003, their long-awaited debut, The Neon Handshake, was released. Recorded by former Refused producers, Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lovstrom, the album was a highlight of the post-hardcore rock scene, entering the UK charts at No. 16. Tom Edwards