“We had a great time over there,” enthuses vocalist Brad Smith. “It was just a massive blur when we tried to put the pieces back together afterwards. ‘Vegas turned out to be pretty much like The Hangover. We all went missing on each other; I remember midway through the night our manager got stuck at a roulette table, the other guys were nowhere to be found. I’m sure there was plenty of nudity. I remember staring at tigers in cages at MGM for, like, an hour… It definitely got a bit out of hand – it’s what too much tequila does to you.”
But their American jaunt wasn’t all about partying hard and getting out of control – some work got done too, Smith insists. With producer Paul Levitt taking on production duties, recording in LA saw the young Sydney lads pour some serious blood, sweat and tears into their brand new offering. It’s a more mature effort, for sure, Smith agrees, but it’s still very much an ode to the ‘bro code.’
“Paul has recorded a lot of records that we all love,” explains Smith. “Like All Time Low, Senses Fail, and Circa Survive. Personally, he was the best option for us in that respect alone. Going to the US was a massive bonus too, because back in Australia we’ve got our own lives, friends and family and all that stuff which can be a big distraction. Being away for about five weeks really let us focus on getting some work done. We were actually able to switch off our phones.
“Going over there helped speed up the whole process and I want to do it again next time – even if just for the food and to hang out; that was amazing.”
Yep, Smith agrees that Heroes For Hire have come a long way since covering Miley Cyrus songs back in 2006 – even though the band still thoroughly enjoy their trashy pop music. These days Miley has been replaced with Ke$ha, Smith points out, and not just on those Hangover-like, 4am drinking sessions. Heroes For Hire are one band that have no qualms with admitting they like listening to trashy pop music, no matter how cheesy and embarrassing it gets. And you can believe it gets pretty cheesy, indeed…
“Our favourite artist right now is Ke$ha!” admits the singer with a laugh. “We listen to her sober, but when we get real drunk it’s even better! I don’t care what I’m listening to as long as it’s a catchy song; people really take the piss out of me for listening to Justin Bieber. The whole thing sort of started out for us with a cover, in a way. Back in the day we recorded a cover of Miley Cyrus and our manager at the time, a different one, was interested in us doing an original song as well. So we recorded Bright Lights In Paradise, but they weren’t interested in that, so we got a new manager and the song just blew up.
“We won Triple J Unearthed because of it and it got us the opening slot on Soundwave, so 2006 was definitely a turning point for us.”
Ever since then, it’s been quite the whirlwind for the Sydney lads, with Take One For The Team following on just 12 months after their debut Life Of The Party. According to Smith, the band aren’t about to lose momentum.
“Our guitarist Duane [Hazell] has already started writing our next album. We know it’s only been a year since our last album but we thought the best idea would be to just back that up as quickly as possible. When you’re on a roll, you shouldn’t stop.”
