Beat The Drum are back with an addictive take on The Stranglers’ 1977 hit ‘No More Heroes’. The vivid familiarity of the original is brought forth with raw alternative nostalgia. Gritty guitars and sprinklings of electronic flourish balance homage with reinvigoration. Accenting moments with a Beat The Drum staple—sleek brass injections—allows them to steady the tempo whilst keeping the powerful rebellious spirit in check.
The band explains, “We were working on a very insistent raw guitar riff, which had this punky energy and attitude that developed into our cover of ‘No More Heroes’. The original version of the song had a lot of widdley keyboards and guitar noodling which we have dispensed with. Stripped back to its bare bones the attitude and spirit shine more brightly in this powerful and energetic song.”
Developing their sound from a headquarters on the outskirts of London, Beat The Drum is comprised of writers and producers Chris Calloway and Steve Murrell. Forming as a five-piece, the cult band spent the late eighties becoming active on the club and small venue circuit. Recording a handful of vinyl singles and albums, they received critical acclaim below the radar of the mainstream.
After the band fragmented, it took multiple projects both together and apart for the current duo to return to Beat The Drum in 2016, reinstating a truly independent status as they released further albums and singles. Without the constraints of genre or expectation, they have allowed themselves to develop and shape their unique vision.
Listen below:
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