All American Entertainment Named to Inc. Best Workplaces in 2022. Read more
Fee Range:Please Contact
Availability:Please contact
Years Active: 2007 (2007)–present
6.6MScrobbles
401.5KListeners

The Heavy are a soul-influenced indie rock band which formed in Bath, England in 2007. The band consists of Kelvin Swaby (vocals), Dan Taylor (guitar), Spencer Page (bass), Chris Ellul (drums) and formerly, Hannah Collins (keyboards).

According to Songfacts, when The Heavy performed How Do You Like Me Now? on Late Night With David Letterman, they so impressed the host that he asked the band to play some more - the first time that's ever happened on the show.

The band claims to be from the village of Noid, England, near Bath. However, no such town exists in England. "Noid" has been suspected of being a pun on the "No ID, No Sale" campaign in pubs in the UK.

Forming in the fertile swamps of England’s West Country in the mid-naughties, around the axis of Dan Taylor (guitarist and songwriter) and Kelvin Swaby (vocalist and songwriter,) the Heavy immediately astounded.

Jaw dropping, freshly minted riffs, swinging hip-hop drums, funk-ridden bass and Swaby’s startling, Mayfield-esque vocals meant early singles ‘That Kind of Man’ and ‘Colleen’ blew minds and won hearts.

The debut album they were taken from – ‘Great Vengeance and Furious Fire’ – became an instant connoisseurs’ classic.It was their sophomore album, though, that saw them blasting into homes across the globe.

‘The House that Dirt Built’. It also yielded the mighty ‘How You Like Me Now?’ The single was licensed for a major commercial in the 3rd Quarter of the Superbowl (the biggest ad slot in the world) and quite simply went stratospheric.

“It became such a big tune, that people asked, ‘How are you going to top that?’.” Swaby says. The answer was 2012’s ‘The Glorious Dead,’ the band’s third album. Even deeper, a touch darker, and with shades of Southern Gothic infesting the swampy rock n’ soul of previous records, the album was another giant step forward, Frankensteining swampy voodoo and b-movie zombies with garage rock and Gospel-soaked soul.

Lead single ‘What Makes a Good Man?’ showed that The Heavy were able to write brilliant singles time after time, with synchs snowing in once again, and American radio coming on board. The band toured the world exhaustively, wowing audiences with their transcendental live performances.

“It was over the top, in a good way,” adds Heavy frontman Kelvin Swaby. “We went pretty cinematic, setting out to score a film that hasn’t been written.” “It’s good to have a bit of light and shade,” Taylor adds.

Since then, The Heavy has gone on to achieve storming success in Japan, playing Fuji Rock, chalking up a #1 alternative album on iTunes Japan, scoring a major Pepsi synch and playing Japan’s biggest breakfast TV show, ‘Sukkiri.

’ Their music was used in the stunning Guiness Sapeurs ad, they played Glastonbury, sold out Shepherd’s Bush Empire and re-recorded How You Like Me Now? with none other than 50 Cent, to launch ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft Week.

To top it all, How You Like Me Now? reached Gold status in the United States – a stunning achievement for an English, independent artist. How to top all that, you might ask? Well, there’s a new album on the way, and The Heavy just happen to have a habit of exceeding themselves…

The Heavy performs blues, funk, indie, soul, rock music and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, or other music performances. The estimated booking fee range to book The Heavy for your event, Please Contact. The Heavy has more than 401.5K listeners worldwide and really knows how to entertain your audience. Similar artists are  Nico Vega, Band of Skulls, Hanni El Khatib, The Blackwater Fever, Charles Bradley, The Black Keys, Ima Robot, The Pack A.D. . Contact AAE Music agency for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling The Heavy for an upcoming event.

This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of popular musicians and bands to consider for performances at corporate events, fundraising galas, or university events. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.

All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any artist or celebrity on this site. AAE Music is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.

If you are the talent, and wish to request removal from this catalog or report an issue with your profile, please click here.

The 2022 Speaking Industry Benchmark Report
This is a standard notification.

Report an issue with my profile

Please use this form to report an issue with your artist profile or to request removal from our online catalog.

Leave your message and contact information below. We will send you a confirmation message or reach out if we have questions.

    Please update my profile
    Please delete my profile