We’re Dead Heroes, an alternative rock project from the UK, made up of Harry Young (Solcura, Myridia) and Zoot Hill Valler (DELTORERS, Mischa and his Merry Men). Our influences range from Queens of the Stone Age and Incubus to Tool, Gorillaz, and many more. It’s about taking that heavy, hypnotic energy and twisting it into something new.
Favourite moment of the year?
Locking down Witch Doctor, our debut single. The moment the mix came back and it sounded exactly how it did in our heads — that was a proper “fuck yes” moment. Also Harry went to Download festival and apparently that was epic too. Maybe we’ll be up on that stage one day, eh?
What’s your dream festival & who would you love to perform with?
Something like Download & Hellfest. Big stages, open air, chaos everywhere, and importantly some good food (check out Bunny Chow if you haven’t already, oooooooh boy…). It would be an absolute dream to share the line up with QOTSA of course, but we’d really love to get up there with our friends in Black Orchid Empire and Mad Honey too.
What’s your take on AI and fake bands flooding streaming services?
It’s already happening, and it’s super gross to us. AI has its place as a creative tool, but fake bands clogging streaming platforms devalue what real artists are building in a genuinely human endeavour. Music should come from lived experience, not an algorithm trying to impersonate one. Used right, AI could help artists explore new sounds and ideas, stimulate inspiration and encourage creative expansion, similar to reading or exposing oneself to previous works of art. The real risk comes when it shifts from being about expression to being about convenience and effortless profit. Like most things, from the internet to the automobile, it carries both positives and negatives. Ultimately, it all depends on how it’s used.
Physical vs Streaming. What’s your opinion on how they affect the music industry now & the future for both?
Streaming dominates now, there’s no changing that in the immediate sense. It’s great for reach, terrible for income (for smaller bands, anyway). Physical music, vinyl especially, is still alive because people want that tangible connection. We see streaming as exposure, physical copies as legacy. In the future, both will still exist, but we believe that physical copies will always mean more to the fans who actually give a damn. One of many sticking points is album artwork. Check out Sanata’s Abraxus, it’s an outrageously detailed and beautiful album cover. But on Spotify, it’s condensed to a few pixels, which is an absolute travesty.
People are making noise complaints when moving into properties near live music venues. What would you do to keep both parties happy?
Don’t move next to a venue if you don’t like noise. Venues are cultural lifeblood, not nuisances. If there’s a middle ground, it’s soundproofing and community support, but the priority has to be keeping venues alive. Additionally, municipal authorities should keep these things in mind during development. Creating a bunch of flats next to an established music venue is fucking over both sides, purely for greedful purposes.
What’s your take on shows with mobile phones being banned? Is it good for concerts to be documented or are cameraphones too intrusive?
Phones can kill the atmosphere for sure. If you’re watching a show through your screen, you’re not really there. That said, it’s cool to grab a photo or two, but when half the crowd is filming the whole set, it ruins the vibe. If it’s a binary choice, we lean toward “ban ’em”, but we’d prefer to have people just take a few pictures or videos to take away with them into the future, and then leave them in their pockets and just enjoy the show.
What song do you wish you’d written and why?
It’s impossible to answer with just one so here’s a few… to be honest, if I like a song, I wish I’d written it (Harry).
The Pot by Tool
M1A1 by Gorillaz
Money for Nothing by Dire Straights
Chloe Dancer/Crown Of Thorns by Mother Love Bone
Nearly Lost You by Screaming Trees
Oh god there are so many more, and to be honest the answer would change depending on what day you asked me! But those are definitely a few contenders.
What’s your favourite tour story?
Since Dead Heroes is a studio project right now, we don’t have tour stories yet. But if we ever hit the road, give us one festival season and we’ll come back with a book’s worth of chaos, bet on it.
Any releases planned?
Yeah! Our debut single Witch Doctor drops September 26th, 2025, and that’s just the beginning. We’ve got plenty more music lined up for the year ahead. Keep your eyes peeled, and follow us on Instagram to keep up to date! @deadheroesuk