Me Vs Hero Call It Quits

Me Vs Hero have decided to call it a day after seven years of being a band. They will be playing two final shows in Manchester and London in April. We wish the guys all the best for the future. 

The band had this to say about them calling it a day:

'All good things must come to an end, like this blunt burning my finger tips' Lil Wayne

It's sad but true, after 7 years in Me Vs Hero we've reached a point in our hectic lives where we just don't have the time or the drive to put enough in the band. 
Don't be disappointed / angry / upset with this news, we're not !! We played some amazing shows, travelled to some amazing places, met some amazing people and now its just our time.

We thank every individual who supported us and listened to our music; all the agents, promoters, photographers, engineers, producers, videographers, musicians we encountered and worked / played with and especially our friends and families.

We'll be playing two big farewell shows, playing songs from every record we have. For those of you who can, grab tickets now from the links below and join us one last time.'

Manchester Tickets
London Tickets

Best of 2014

It's that time of year again where we get to look back at our favourite albums and EPs of the year, and let's be honest here, there's been a few good ones. From the return of New Found Glory and Four Year Strong, to Real Friends' first full length, pop punk definitely proved it wasn't dead (it even had it's own UK tour). Here's a list of things that we've loved in 2014 (in no particular order) and we'll see you guys in the new year...

   

Albums

Candy Hearts - All The Ways You Let Me Down

Forever Came Calling - What Matters Most

Handguns - Life Lessons

 Major League - There's Nothing Wrong With Me

Me vs Hero - I'm Completely Fine

Moose Blood - I'll Keep You In Mind, From Time To Time

 New Found Glory - Resurrection

Real Friends - Maybe This Place Is The Same And We're Just Changing

Rust Belt Lights - Religion and My Ex

Transit - Joyride

Neck Deep - Wishful Thinking 

Fireworks - Oh, Common Life

Trophy Eyes - Mend, Move On

Yellowcard - Lift a Sail

Gnarwolves 

EPs

The Story So Far - Songs Of

Knuckle Puck - While I Stay Secluded

Four Year Strong - Go Down In History

Seaway - All In My Head 

Homebound - Coming Of Age

 Boston Manor - Driftwood

Six Time Champion - Expecting Honesty

Trash Boat - Look Alive 

Nathan Detroit - Peace Of Mind

State Champs - The Acoustic Things

Thank you to everyone who has supported us in 2014 and we hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Me Vs Hero Release New Music Video

Me vs Hero have released a new music video for their song 'Hang In' from their album 'I'm Completely Fine'. The band had this to say about the song on facebook: 'the song means a lot to us, it's literally about hanging in there when times get bad. At one point when we wrote this record there was a three month period where Sam was homeless. He had three big bags for all his stuff and had no idea where he was sleeping most nights. The song is an accurate depiction of his life at that point. It's something that, if you go through, you will make sure never happens again. Check it out below:



Check out our interview with Me vs Hero here

Me Vs Hero Interview

During the month of September, Me vs Hero embarked on their first UK tour since the release of their new album I'm Completely Fine. We caught up with Sam, Bobby and Mike in Nottingham to ask about the tour, the new album and if their new song Heisenberg has anything to do with Breaking Bad...

PPUK: YOU'RE FIVE DAYS INTO YOUR TOUR HOW'S IT BEEN GOING, A 10 OUT OF 10?
Bobby: Good, I'm not going to lie and say 10 out of 10 but like, I don't know, people are there [at the shows]. 
Sam: 11 at least. No, it's probably been as we expected it would be, maybe a little bit better than what we actually expected really to be fair.
Bobby: It's been good. Newcastle was sick, Manchester was amazing, Leeds was amazing, it's been good.

PPUK: DID NOTTINGHAM LET YOU DOWN?
Bobby: No, but people didn't seem to like stage dive or get that into it. I was saying to Mike the other day though, if I go to a show or if I used to go to a show or whatever, I wasn't the type of person that would get to the front and get involved anyway, I'd rather just stand at the back and sing and enjoy it. Which is fine, people enjoy shows in different ways.
Sam: People wanted another song so I guess they were enjoying it.
Bobby: Nodding, saw loads of nodding so it was fine. 

PPUK: HOW'S THE REACTION TO I'M COMPLETELY FINE BEEN?  
Bobby: Awesome I think. I've not seen anyone say it's shit.
Sam: No. I think the only problem is that we need to get it out to more people. If we had the backing to get it out to more people it would be great because every single person who's posted about [I'm Completely Fine], that we've seen, and we do look [at social media]...   
Bobby: We check twitter, social networking all the time...
Sam: We do like to keep up to date with everything and speak to our fans and everyone's who posted about it's been absolutely fantastic. There's been nothing even semi-bad, it's just been all positive and really amazing. We didn't get that with our first album, so yeah it's been great and absolutely fantastic so far.

PPUK: DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE POSITIVE REACTIONS ARE EVEN BETTER DUE TO THE FACT THAT I'M COMPLETELY FINE NEARLY DIDN'T HAPPEN?
Bobby: Yeah, to get it out is, you know, great anyway.I've seen people on Twitter say it's a masterpiece and stuff and that's just like amazing. We spent a lot of time writing and recording that album.

PPUK: SO, YOU GUYS DID ALL THE RECORDING YOURSELVES?
Bobby: We ended up doing all the recording ourselves. 
Sam: Essentially yeah. We actually recorded everything ourselves.
Bobby: We hired a studio for the drums but we still did it ourselves and like we were still there ourselves.
Sam: We actually set up the microphones and recorded it. We did vocals in a high-rise council estate flat. It was horrible.
Bobby: Sam and Grant did their guitars at a farm in Cumbria. 
Sam: It was very, very stressful. there were chickens... 
Bobby: He's got 25,000 chickens Grant, our guitarist. They didn't like those guitars.
Mike: We didn't mix it though right? 
Bobby: No, no we sent it off to Romesh.
Sam: He does Kids In Glass Houses, he's done a bit of Motorhead, he's done Funeral For a Friend, Save Your Breath, The Blackout..
Bobby: He did an awesome job of mixing it.
Sam: He did our first album in entirety, recorded mixed and mastered our first album so we went back to him after we were getting robbed by other people.
Bobby: He saved us.
Sam: Yeah, he saved us.
Bobby: I remember when we were in Japan, we got sent one demo mix of a song and we were like 'thank God'.
Sam: We were on tour with The Wonder Years in Japan and our label, the guy who signed us in Japan he was on the tour bus with us at the time as well and we showed him and he was like 'yeah it's great'.
Bobby: We passed it around The Wonder Years and stuff it was cool. 

PPUK: WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE SONG FROM I'M COMPLETELY FINE AND WHY?
Bobby: I think its Opposites actually.
Sam: I like them all really, I'm proud of writing them all but I think Hang In, which is an acoustic song, and a bit different to what we usually do. It's about me being homeless for 3 months. 
Bobby: IRL. 
Sam: What does that mean?
Bobby: In real life. 
Sam: In real life yeah, it actually did.

PPUK: SO, THE SONG HEISENBERG? ARE YOU GUYS BREAKING BAD FANS?
Bobby: Very much so, all of us are. 
Mike: Bob's got a tattoo.
Bobby: I have got a tattoo.
PPUK: Can we see it?
Bobby: Yeah it's not anywhere weird *gets out Walter tattoo on leg*
PPUK: Did it hurt? 
Bobby: No, it was alright.
Sam: Tattoos always hurt, he's such a liar.
PPUK: What does it say?
Bobby: Kiss the Cook. No it wasn't that bad, like that Caspar one *shows tattoo of Caspar the ghost on leg* absolutely killed, I had to make her stop halfway through.
Mike: As you can see because it's half done.
Sam: He's also got bees on his knees.
Bobby: I have got bees in my knees.

PPUK: DO YOU GUYS WATCH GAME OF THRONES?
Mike: Yeah.
Bobby: I love Game of Thrones.

PPUK: IF YOU COULD CHOOSE GAME OF THRONES OR BREAKING BAD, WHAT WOULD YOU PICK? 
Bobby: That is such a hard choice.
Sam: That is a very hard question. Maybe Game of Thrones because it's not finished yet and I've seen all of Breaking Bad.
Bobby: Am I allowed to put another series into the mix anyway?
Sam: Don't do Boardwalk Empire.
Bobby: Boardwalk Empire, it's my favourite.
Sam: Oh don't do Boardwalk Empire, nope.
Bobby: Boardwalk Empire's my favourite over all of them.
Sam: Well yeah, I mean I love them all equally. 
Bobby: It was those three to pick from it would definitely be Boardwalk Empire.
Mike: I can't even choose.

PPUK: IF YOU WERE CHARACTERS FROM GAME OF THRONES WHO WOULD YOU BE?
Sam: Tyrion.
Bobby: Yeah Tyrion, the best guy ever. The god of tits and wine.
Sam: *laughs*
Bobby: That's what he says he is. What's his dad called?
PPUK: Tywin.
Mike: I think I'd be Deanerys Targaryen.
Sam: So you could look at yourself in the mirror all the time?
Bobby: Tywin's cool but he's harsh.

PPUK: I'VE GOT TO ASK ABOUT YOUR APP, HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THAT IDEA?
Bobby: It was all Grant, I thought it was a terrible idea and it turned out to be fantastic. Everyone really liked it and it was actually a great idea. But when he was talking about it I was like 'what the hell are you talking about?'
Sam: I loved it from when he mentioned it. It was gonna be a great idea.
Mike: We should have made it a virus and you have to pay to get it off.
Sam: To my knowledge, we are the first band that has ever done that.

PPUK: DO YOU PLAY IT YOURSELVES?
Sam: I've played it a couple of times yeah, it's not the best game. 
Bobby: It's a pretty crap game. Sometimes you can't actually do the things it wants you to do and our drummer's girlfriend gave it a one out of five on the itunes store. 
Mike: You can't lose though so it doesn't matter.
Sam: It's just a good way to premiere the album and its not been done by anyone else
Bobby: When it all came out and stuff I thought it was amazing. Download it, app store or android store.
Sam: and it's free.

PPUK: FOR ANYONE WHO'S NOT LISTENED TO I'M COMPLETELY FINE YET, WHY SHOULD THEY? 
Mike: We'll find you and kill you if you don't listen to it.
Bobby: Its had lots and lots of effort put into it by five not so young gentlemen. Loads of effort and money has been thrown at it and the lyrics mean a lot to Sam here.
Sam: I mean I'd say it's a very relatable album. I think a lot of the stuff on the album is relatable.
Mike: It's because you wrote it. 
Bobby: Of course it's relatable to you.
All: *laughs*
Sam: I can really relate to it.
Mike: Really speaks to me, it really gets me.
Sam: I really get it, I understand it completely.
Bobby: We said it loads aswell when it first came out, it's an honest album as well. It's pretty down to Earth. I can understand it aswell.
Sam: All lyrics are genuine about stuff that people go through, like work, fucking money and shit, all that stuff.
Bobby: Everyday struggles.
Sam: As you get older it's really shit. You just wait 'till you're my age, 21.
All: *laughs*

I'm Completely Fine is out now.
Me vs Hero's Facebook | Twitter | Youtube | Bandcamp

Me vs Hero Release New Video

Me vs Hero have released a new video for Heisenberg, a song from their new album I'm Completely Fine. The video features live footage of the band from the past two years in Europe, the US, Japan and at festivals such as Slam Dunk and Hevy. 

Me vs Hero | I'm Completely Fine Review

It has been four years since Me vs Hero released their debut album, Days That Shaped Our Lives, and we have missed them a hell of a lot. Speaking to Rock Sound, the band have said that the album, who’s title started as a joke paraphrasing Alan Partridge’s immortal line – Yeah I’m Completely Fine, nearly ended them a number of times. However, the four year wait and the apparent trouble the album seems to have caused appears to have been extremely beneficial as Me vs Hero are coming back stronger than ever...

The opening track, I'm Completely Fine, is a foolproof intro which gives foresight into what the next twelve songs consist of. While the track starts off slowly, it builds up creating an array of anticipation that recklessly leads into the rest it the album. I'm Completely Fine steers into Opposites, a song about people who are handed what they have on a plate. The chorus really ingrains this idea as Sam sings 'No one could have picked two other worlds so opposite, you take yours I'll take mine, I know what hard work is'. The chorus, which is incredibly catchy, is also accompanied by a signature Me vs Hero guitar hook and first-rate drums.  

The next track Skin and Bones has all the elements of a flawless pop punk track; fast paced drums, an appealing and memorable chorus and impressive guitar hook. This then leads into track four, Rush for Gold, which has the finest chorus on the album. The verses are a dejected tale of becoming older which is then contrasted against an extremely upbeat chorus, filled with an exceptional hooks and energetic gang vocals.

Virtues is another stand out track from the album. It combines all the best things about Me vs Hero: riffs that are engraved into your memory, vigorous gang vocals, indelible lyrics and a breakdown so good you have the song on repeat all day. Home Alone is only 52 seconds long but in no way is this a debilitating factor; the gang vocals will leave anyone dying to hear this played live. Marks of a Slave is the next track and the place where the lyrics stand out the most. The song states 'we're all born defined by our cultures, set loose to be caught and stripped of our thoughts.Another possession of monsters, worked to the core to feel safe and secure in our walls' conveying the dissatisfaction and pressures within the working world.

Heisenberg is next up, which also has an Interlude - Truth. The song channels the idea of a bad relationship and the lyrics are also flawless and identifiable. The  gang vocals on the chorus will leave it stuck in your head all day. Hang In is a beautiful acoustic song, the kind that has the ability to give you chills all over. The chorus is complimented by awesome harmonies and even here gang vocals can be found. 

Things we Know, is the song most reminiscent of earlier Me vs Hero songs and the easycore roots are evident. The riff is especially gratifying, exalted by a mix of chugs and gang vocals. Next up is These Past Five Years, the last song on the album. The song provides a powerful close, another song that would sound great live.

Overall, I'm Completely Fine is an extremely impressive sophomore album. While it is pop punk at its core, Me vs Hero have returned to their roots and added their signature easycore take to the album. Although it's been a long wait, I'm Completely Fine is totally worth it...

Make sure you pick up a copy on September 1st or preorder here.

ROAM Join Me vs Hero On Their UK Tour

ROAM are supporting Me vs Hero on their I'm Completely Fine UK headline tour this September. Check out the dates below: 

Pop Punk to Listen to This Summer

Although we've had some pretty hot weather in the UK, it has still managed to rain almost every other day. It's like someone is trying to punish us for our bad teeth and obsession with tea. For this reason we have decided to bring you some truly awesome pop punk to brighten the summer months and make you feel like you're on Californian beach (Skateboard and Khaki shorts optional). We've compiled a list of new albums, EPs and  just general summery songs that we hope will make your summer a little less like a giant accumulation of rain and thunder storms. 

Handguns - Life Lessons
If you haven't listened to Life Lessons yet, stop what you are doing right now and find whatever medium you usually use to listen to music and put that shit on right now.  Although only 28 minutes long, Life Lessons is packed with huge pop punk anthems that are perfect for summer time. Imagine all the best parts of their previous releases Angst and Don't Bite Your Tongue combined to make a spotless album which will leave you begging them to come and tour in the UK ASAP. 





Firestarter - Forget The Past
Hailing from Albany New York this means that Firestarter already share a home with bands such as State Champs and With the Punches (R.I.P). In May of this year the band released their EP Forget the Past, which is an essential accessory to any pop punk summer. It's pretty much a fast paced, gang vocal filled EP of perfection which you can buy for the equivalent of about £3





Candy Hearts - All The Ways You Let Me Down
It's a shame there are not more female fronted pop punk bands in existence but Mariel, Matthew and John are doing a good job of showing what wonderful things can happen when you have a female vocalist. All The Ways You Let Me Down is a mix of sugary pop punk reminiscent of New Found Glory or Blink 182. Speaking of New Found Glory, Chad Gilbert produced the album and his influence is evident throughout. If you love pop punk with super catchy lyrics and upbeat riffs, you should definitely give this a listen.   

Four Year Strong -Go Down In History
It's been three years since Four Year Strong have released anything and let's be honest, we have missed them a lot. Some fans were disappointed by the release of In Some Way Shape or Form. However, it seems that for the release of Go Down In History, Four Year Strong are coming back better than ever. This will be FYS's first release since they signed to Pure Noise Records and from listening to the songs they've put out already, it seems like they're returning to their roots. Go Down in History is released July 22nd. 




Stanley and the Search - Weightless
Stanley and the the Search recently released the follow up to their debut self titled. Weightless is a remastered version of their EP Weight. Although the album cover is cloudy, look at those palm trees, it has summer written all over it people. The band took a different direction to their debut; Weightless provides the listener with heavy, aggressive pop punk that has the potential to become catchy at any moment. If you're a fan of citizen, Polar Bear Club or Make Do and Mend you definitely need this album to complete you summer.




Smalls - Tired 
Smalls are another female fronted  pop punk band that we are massive fans of (complete with female drummer). Their first EP, Expecting the Worst, was practically the best thing you will ever hear so you can imagine our excitement when they released their new song Tired. To make it even better the video for Tired (Click on title) is a parody of The Get Up Kids video for Action and Action complete with dangly ceiling telephone and everything. Make sure you pick up a copy of Small's new EP when it's released.




Forever Came Calling - Indebted
Forever Came Calling aren't releasing their new album until September, but until then the band have released the single Indebted. The track is a catchy mixture of upbeat guitar riffs and lyrics. Forever Came Calling's new album is a follow up to their last album Contender. The new one, 'What Matter's Most', was produced and engineered by Kyle Black (New Found Glory, Comeback Kid) and will be available by Pure Noise Records on September 9th. 





Me vs Hero - I'm Completely Fine 
Me vs Hero are another band that we had been missing until they started putting out new tracks from their upcoming album - I'm Completely Fine. The band have currently released three tracks from the album - Marks of a Slave, Things We Know and Opposites and each song  has been epic. The only thing we're disappointed about is that the album isn't released until September but the three songs are enough to keep us going until then. Also, look at that artwork - it's practically the British summer summed up - a man standing in the sea fully clothed with an umbrella. 



Real Friends - Maybe This Place Is The Same and We're Just Changing
Pop Punk/ emo favourites Real Friends are releasing their debut album this summer and from what we've already heard it looks like it's going to be awesome. The band have already released Loose Ends, Sixteen and I Don't Love You Anymore all of which sound like the typical heart on sleeve lyric, pent up emotion, Real Friends songs we love. And don't fear, the sleepy eyes/ bony knees references have not disappeared. 






Homebound - Coming of Age
Homebound have spent a year writing the songs which make up their debut EP 'Coming of Age'. The EP consists of songs penned about regret, learning from past experience and just growing up in general. The outcome has resulted in an excellent EP that is an impressive first release from the band. Homebound's EP is also perfect for summer so make sure you get your copy. Also, if you want to go to a show but have no money, Homebound are participating in a free tour this September with As It Is and Like Torches. To find out more click here.  




The Story So Far - Songs Of 
Who knew that The Story So Far had a soft side? With all this beating up of security guards it's a hard to believe that TSSF are capable of putting out an EP with the capability of singing a newborn baby to sleep. Of course we have seen this side before on Placeholder and Clairvoyant but this EP is just simply beautiful. If you're having trouble sleeping through humid summer nights just put this on, it will work much better than counting sheep. 





Nathan Detroit - Peace of Mind
Nathan Detroit are releasing their new EP on August 11th. The band who hail from Trowbridge in the UK have a mixture of melodic riffs and heartfelt lyrics (listen to The Way Down) and also display catchy, upbeat songs such as 17 (Although this was released lat summer it's still great). Nathan Detroit have also been playing dates alongside ROAM, Light You Up and As It Is and will also be touring this summer. Find out more here.

Rust Belt Lights - Religion and My Ex
Rust Belt Lights released Religion and My Ex in February of this year and although the cover is quite dark, this deserves a place in this list. You know those albums you wish you had a soft top car for and you could put the roof down and play it really loud. This is that album. The album is full of fast paced drums, an abundance of energy and catchy lyrics. Our favourites include Old Ghost and How to Live Without which are perfect for summer. 





Aaron West and The Roaring Twenties - We Don't Have Each Other
Dan 'Soupy' Campbell from The Wonder Years recently started a side project called 'Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties'. Although it's extremely different from TWY (think acoustic guitars, harmonicas and country-esque music) if you're a big TWY fan, then it's definitely worth checking this out. The album - We Don't Have Each Other - sold 30,000 copies in the first week and was 89 on the American Billboard charts which is pretty impressive for a side project. If you want to find out more check out Soupy's interview with AP here.



Trash Boat - Look Alive 
Trash Boat have only officially been a band since the beginning of 2014 but from listening to Look Alive, you would never have guessed it. As Trash Boat's first musical endeavor, the EP shows no hint of weakness and is an impressive mixture of memorable melodies, youthful affirmations and an abundance of energy; the perfect musical accessory for summer. Trash Boat have also played a number of dates supporting ROAM on their UK tour this summer. Fear not if you have missed out as the band are playing shows throughout the next coming months. Find a date near you here.  




Knuckle Puck - The Weight That You Buried
Summer is not summer without Knuckle Puck. Whether you're listening to The Weight That You Buried, Don't Come Home or their recent split with Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck will definitely brighten up your summer. Knuckle Puck also recently released a new video fro their song No Good (click on the link above to watch), which was directed by Eric Teti, the same person who directed Real Friend's video for I Don't Love You Anymore. 





Seaway - Hoser
Although Hoser was released in 2013, it definitely belongs in any summer playlist. Especially as the band just got signed to Pure Noise Records. You could argue that 'Keep your stick on Ice' means that it should belong in a winter playlist but we're going to put it in here because nothing makes you feel more summery than an album that sounds like a modern spin on old blink 182. Seaway also released a new video for No Direction from the album which you can watch by clicking on the link above. 



No Sleep Records - A Comp For Mom
No Sleep Record's president/ founder Chris Hansen is releasing a compilation in memory of his mum who sadly passed away this year. The comp is limited to a 1000 copies and all proceeds go towards his mum's medical bills and any left over will go to the Linda Hansen memorial fund. The compilation features a previously unreleased full band version of the Living Room Song by The Wonder Years (Listen out for the Modern Baseball shoutout), an acoustic version of Montreal by Major League and a previously unreleased b-side from the Swellers.





Seasons Change - Nothing and Everything EP
Seasons Change hail from Pico Rivera California and even the cover to Nothing and Everything is sunny. Just Look at it. Although this was released last year it deserves a place on any summer playlist. The band also recently got signed to No Sleep Records and are recording their debut full length with Sam Pura at the Panda Studios. Sam Pura + Panda Studios + awesome band can only equal one thing: one fucking awesome album.  





Like You to Me - Bigger Jaws
Like You to Me, who we think are named after the Set Your Goals Song of the same name, recently released their new song Bigger Jaws which features a special guest. Yep, that's right New Found Glory's Jordan Pundik lends some guest vocals to Bigger Jaws. In fact, the singer sounds a lot like him so it's like a buy one get one free of Jordan Pundik's which we're definitely not complaining about. Also, look at the shark on the cover that has summer written all over it, right? Okay maybe not but the song is a pretty good one to put on your summer playlists. 


If you have any more suggestions, whether it's your favourite band, you're own band or a friend's band, we'd love to hear from you. Please email us pop.punk.uk@gmail.com