The Heavy

The Heavy are a British band from Bath, England, formed in 2007 around vocalist Kelvin Swaby, guitarist Dan Taylor, bassist Spencer Page and drummer Chris Ellul. Signed to the Ninja Tune imprint Counter Records and the Bad Son Recording Company, the band built a sound rooted in raw soul and funk energy filtered through gritty guitar rock, giving them a retro-yet-modern edge distinct from typical indie rock of their era.

The group gained wide recognition when «How You Like Me Now?», from their 2009 album The House That Dirt Built, became a staple of film, television and advertising placements, introducing their horn-driven, soul-punch sound to a mainstream audience far beyond the UK indie scene. They continued this trajectory with the 2012 album The Glorious Dead, and later «Short Change Hero» found a second life through its use in the Borderlands video game franchise, further cementing their presence in gaming and media culture — a connection reinforced by «Put It on the Line», recorded as the theme for Borderlands 3.

The Heavy's music draws on classic soul and rhythm and blues traditions while keeping a rock band's live-wire energy, a combination that has made them reliable contributors to soundtracks and syncs. Their catalog balances raw, horn-punctuated grooves with anthemic choruses, cementing a reputation as one of the more distinctive British bands to emerge from the late-2000s revival of soul-inflected rock.