Citizendia

Hard-Fi
Hard-Fi at the Hurricane Festival, June 2006
Hard-Fi at the Hurricane Festival, June 2006
Background information
Origin Staines, Surrey, England
Genre(s) Indie Rock
Alternative rock
Years active 2003—present
Label(s) Necessary Records / Warner (UK),
Atlantic Records (US)
Website www.hard-fi.com
Members
Richard Archer
Kai Stephens
Ross Phillips
Steve Kemp

Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. Staines is a Thames -side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England, Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Necessary Records is a record label based in the UK founded by Warren Clarke not to be confused with the actor of the same name Warner Music Group (WMG is the third-largest of the "big four" major record labels, the others being Sony BMG, EMI, and Universal The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Richard John Archer (born January 18, 1977) is the frontman of UK Indie-rock band Hard-Fi. Kai Stephens plays bass and also sings backing vocals for the band Hard-Fi. Ross Phillips is the guitarist for the band Hard-Fi and also provides Backing vocals. Steven Michael Kemp plays drums for the band Hard-Fi. Originally from Lancaster, he moved to London in his late teens due to a course and never left England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. Staines is a Thames -side town in the Spelthorne borough of Surrey and part of the London Commuter Belt of South East England, Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. These suburban surroundings have significantly influenced their musical style and lyrics. South San Jose (cropjpg||thumb|A suburban development in San Jose California. The band's continual members have been Richard Archer (vocals), Kai Stephens (bass guitar), Ross Phillips (guitar) and Steve Kemp (drums). Richard John Archer (born January 18, 1977) is the frontman of UK Indie-rock band Hard-Fi. Kai Stephens plays bass and also sings backing vocals for the band Hard-Fi. The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the Ross Phillips is the guitarist for the band Hard-Fi and also provides Backing vocals. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Steven Michael Kemp plays drums for the band Hard-Fi. Originally from Lancaster, he moved to London in his late teens due to a course and never left A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells

They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat"[1] and then followed by other successful singles such as "Cash Machine"[2] and "Living for the Weekend",[3] which all reached top 15 in the UK Singles Chart. "Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. This article is about the song For the article about cash dispensing machines see Automated teller machine. "Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from indie band Hard-Fi; it was released on September 19, 2005, and peaked at number The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC on behalf of the British record industry [4] Their debut album Stars of CCTV was released on 4 July 2005,[5] and although receiving critical acclaim (NME called it album of the year and was nominated for the Mercury Prize and two BRIT Awards, Best British Group and Best British Rock Act[6]), it didn't reach #1 in the UK albums chart until six months later on 22 January 2006. Stars of CCTV is the debut album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. Events 836 - Pactum Sicardi, peace between the Principality of Benevento and the Duchy of Naples Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been The BRIT Awards, often simply called The BRITs, are the British Phonographic Industry 's annual pop music awards Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [7] It originally peaked at number 6. [8] The band's second album, Once Upon a Time in the West, was released on 3 September 2007[9] and reached number 1 in its first week. Once Upon a Time in the West is the second album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [10]

They are generally considered part of the indie rock scene,[11] although Richard Archer has mentioned numerous times that they are heavily influenced by Soul and Dance music. [12]

Contents

History

Early Years: Contempo 1997 - 2001

Richard Archer decided to return to his hometown of Staines, crushed by the lack of success his former band Contempo and by the death of his father after his struggle against cancer. Richard John Archer (born January 18, 1977) is the frontman of UK Indie-rock band Hard-Fi. "I moved back to Staines because I ran out of money and it was quite a shock," he says.

Archer claims that music business insiders tried to dissuade the band's manager Warren Clarke from managing him. When Archer asked his publishers for some money to record the new songs that he had written, they terminated his contract instead. "People told him, don't bother with Archer, he's damaged goods, you're wasting your time'. "[13][14]

Formation and early success: 2001 - 2004

While Archer was making demos to produce an album, he went inside the Staines hi-fi shop where Ross Phillips worked, wanting to buy equipment, simply so he could listen to his latest demos on the shop's best stereo gear. Philips apparently asked Archer who played guitar on his his demos, Archer said that it was himself which is when Phillips said it was 'shit',[15] and was therefore recruited to play guitar for the new group. Steve Kemp was already an old friend of Richard and Kai took little persuasion to leave his job as a "pest killer". [16]

The band were signed to newly formed independent label, Necessary Records, owned by Clarke. Necessary Records is a record label based in the UK founded by Warren Clarke not to be confused with the actor of the same name The majority of Stars of CCTV was recorded in a variety of unusual acoustic environments - in bedrooms, in pubs, and played back in their producer, Wolsey White's, BMW. ( BMW) (Bavarian Motor Works is an independent German automobile manufacturer founded in 1916 1000 copies of this record were pressed with only 500 going on public sale, and the initial plan was to sell 1000 each time. However, it quickly sold out, receiving critical acclaim and radio play, proving a lot more successful than the band had imagined. In a disused mini cab office, which cost them about £300, is where most the album was recorded and is known to this day as the "Cherry Lips" Studio. A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride The band used to try and make their music sound more environmental by putting a microphone in the corridor, this added echoe, however, people would walk passed whistling or humming as well as the fact that planes would fly by and could be heard while the band recorded the album, and, if listened to carefully, can still be heard on the record as the band could not get rid of it. The band used the TL Audio Fatman compressor for the album, Archer said "It's alright, it's cheap, you don't have to know what you're doing. . . ".

Archer desperately tried to generate publicity for the band through the Staines Observer, however, to no avail. "We sent them a press release and a photo," said Archer. "The press release was all like, the hard-hitting sound of the streets and stuff. And the article came out going, 'Richard Archer, former pupil of Thamesmead School . . . ' Whatever you say, they seem to be most interested in what school you went to. "

The band were then licensed to the Atlantic Records label (a major) in December 2004, where they were given the chance to re-record the album. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock The band were offered the chance to record in the renowned Abbey Road Studios among other well known studios however, the band went back to the cab office to maintain their sound. Abbey Road Studios, established in November 1931 by EMI in London, England, is a Recording studio located at number 3 Abbey Road,

Stars of CCTV, BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize: 2005 - 2006

Main article: Stars of CCTV
The video for Hard to Beat was filmed in Cheekees
The video for Hard to Beat was filmed in Cheekees

Their debut album's launch party was scheduled to be 7 July 2005 at Cheekees night club in Staines, however this was cancelled due to the ill health of Richard's mother. Stars of CCTV is the debut album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. "Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Her death resulted in the band pulling out of the Glastonbury festival. For the classical music and theatre festivals co-founded by Rutland Boughton between 1914 and 1926 see Glastonbury Festival (1914-1925 The The launch party was rescheduled for 13 July 2005 and the venue changed to Ladbroke Grove, London. Events 1174 - William I of Scotland, a key rebel in the Revolt of 1173-1174, is captured at Alnwick by forces loyal to Notting Hill is an area in West London, England close to the north-western corner of Hyde Park, and lying within the Royal Borough of Kensington and London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

After a successful marketing campaign by Atlantic, the Stars of CCTV album re-entered the official UK album chart at #4 on 1 January 2006. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Two places higher than it originally went in on the week of its release, the album climbed from #33 which was actually the best sales week for the album of 55,000 due to the busy Christmas period. Stars of CCTV finally climbed to #1 on 22 January 2006. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The band's re-release of Cash Machine entered the official Top 40 singles chart at #14 on 1 January. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC The album has reached sales of 1. 2 million copies worldwide[17] and sales of 300,000 in the UK alone. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Hard-Fi gained increased prominence in the UK when Stars of CCTV was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize alongside other albums such as A Certain Trigger by Maxïmo Park and Silent Alarm by Bloc Party. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Mercury Prize, formerly the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Nationwide Mercury Prize for Sponsorship reasons is an annual music prize A Certain Trigger is the debut album of Newcastle -based Post-punk revival band Maxïmo Park. Maxïmo Park (sometimes spelled Maximo Park) are an English Post-punk revival band signed to Warp Records, who formed in 2000 For the Bloc Party album see Silent Alarm (album. A silent alarm is a Burglar alarm that makes no noise that is audible to the Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band composed of Kele Okereke on vocals and Rhythm guitar, Russell Lissack on [18] Hard-Fi reached the last two where they just lost out to Antony and the Johnsons. Antony and the Johnsons is a Mercury Prize -winning music act from New York City. [19]

In February 2006, the band were nominated for two BRIT Awards, Best British Group and Best British Rock Act, alongside international superstars such as Gorillaz, Franz Ferdinand and Oasis. The BRIT Awards, often simply called The BRITs, are the British Phonographic Industry 's annual pop music awards Gorillaz is a Virtual band created in 1998 by Damon Albarn of alternative rock band Blur, and Jamie Hewlett, co-creator of the Comic Franz Ferdinand is a rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Richard spoke about the nominations, "I don't think we'll win it, especially best group when you've got Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand and Gorillaz in there, they're kind of big hitters, but you never know, Burton drew with Man United". Coldplay TalkColdplay#Is_or_Are_dispute_again Burton Albion Football Club are an English football team currently playing in the Conference National. "Last week I would have probably said "nah it's all rubbish", but now I'm nominated "it's great" but what is good is that there's a real wide spread of stuff there, but there's no Best Dance award and the urban category is more pop than what's quality. "[20]

Once Upon a Time in the West

Main article: Once Upon a Time in the West (album)

Hard-Fi expanded their taxi cab office which they used to record, or as they call it, the Cherry Lips making more room for equipment after having searched fruitlessly for a space. Once Upon a Time in the West is the second album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. Frontman Richard Archer describes the record as "darker" and "more expansive". The band recorded the album with no intentions of releasing it quickly and wanted to take time, this led to their record label nearly dropping them. [21]

The first single from the album was "Suburban Knights", released on 20 August. "Suburban Knights" is the first single from British band Hard-Fi 's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. Events 636 - Battle of Yarmouk: Arab forces led by Khalid ibn al-Walid take control of Syria and Palestine The single had its first play on 18 June 2007 at 19:20 (BST) on Radio 1. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The album Once Upon A Time In The West was released on 3 September 2007 when the band launched it at the midnight in Virgin Megastore in Oxford Street, London with a live performance from a selected set list followed by a CD signing. Once Upon a Time in the West is the second album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Virgin Megastores is an international chain of Record shops founded by Sir Richard Branson on London 's Oxford Street in January or February Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. [22] The following day, to promote the album, the band performed at Maida Vale Studios to a small audience who earned their tickets through promotion. Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. [23][24]

The album cover of Once Upon A Time In The West has a plain yellow background with the album title at the top, and NO COVER ART written in large, white letters below. The artwork has received mixed criticism, mostly bad and has been slated as one of the worst of all time,[25][26] however, top cover art designer Peter Saville has described it as "a 'White Album' for the digital culture. Peter Saville (born 1955 in Manchester) is an English graphic designer based in London. "[27][28]

On 9 September, 'Once Upon A Time In The West' went straight in at #1 in the Album Charts giving the band a second #1 album following Stars of CCTV. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian However, the album was met with a mixed response from fans, those who loved the punk-ish "in your face rock" of the first album were left slightly disappointed, however some were pleased with the more dark tone of the album as it was a bit of a change. [29] It also received mixed reviews from as high as a five star review (Observer Music Monthly)[30] to as low as a two star review from The Times Online who also named it the second worst album of 2007. The Observer is a British Newspaper published on Sundays In about the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [31]

This album has gone even further in the world than their debut album "Stars of CCTV" as it has reached Japan's Top 10 chart. Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Central America have began to show interest in the band as the first single from the album "Suburban Knights" charted in all of their respective charts, reachin #5 in Peru, alongside their second single "Can't Get Along (Without You)" which spen two weeks on #1 in Peru. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld "Can't Get Along (Without You" is a single from indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. On the 10th March 2008 the third single from 'Once Upon A Time In The West', 'I Shall Overcome' was released, more successful than "Can't Get Along (Without You)" in the UK reaching #35, while it reached top five in Peru just like the previous two singles enering in at #4. Once Upon a Time in the West ( Italian title C'Era una Volta il West) is a 1968 epic Spaghetti Western " I Shall Overcome " is the third single by indie band Hard-Fi from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West. "Can't Get Along (Without You" is a single from indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. [32]

Musical style

Hard-Fi's musical style is a mix of post-punk, indie and a Clash style of punk rock. Post-punk was a popular musical movement in the mid to late 1970s following on the heels of the initial Punk rock explosion of the early 1970s Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were They also take inspiration from other genres such as ska. Ska ( pronounced /ska/ or in Jamaican Patois /skja/ is a Music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and which was the precursor On Stars of CCTV, they had a very raw sound, loud guitars, and frequent use of guitar, in contrast to Once Upon A Time In The West, on which there is a lot more orchestration, the use of strings is very apparent, most notably in the song "Watch Me Fall Apart".

Upon starting out, Hard-Fi often listened to music through the medium of radio and the internet, read magazines and watched music videos. As a band, they felt no up-and-coming bands really connected their lyrics to their own lives. Hard-Fi wanted to change this with their own style.

When making a song, Archer said:

“ I write the songs on an acoustic guitar or piano; you'll get different natural chord shapes on a guitar, so sometimes it can be interesting to go and do it on a piano, where you might play a different progression. So I'll do a demo of it and take it to the guys who will turn it into a Hard-Fi tune really; they'll put their spin on it. We'll edit it live together, mix and cut it up a lot as we go, and record it. We owe as much to hip hop and dance techniques as rock as we've grown up as part of the dance generation. [33] ”

Lyrics

Hard-Fi's lyrics are based mostly on working class life, the band themselves coming from a self sufficient suburban lifestyle. [13] Most notable in tracks such as "Suburban Knights" ("Those bills keep dropping through my door") and "Living for the Weekend" ("I've been working all week I'm tired"), while other songs such as "Tonight", despite still being about suburban life, focus more on ambitions. "Suburban Knights" is the first single from British band Hard-Fi 's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. "Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from indie band Hard-Fi; it was released on September 19, 2005, and peaked at number Some songs are also based on social realism, "Feltham is Singing Out" is inspired by Zahid Mubarek[34] someone who is sent to the Feltham Young Offenders' Institution and is murdered by his racist cellmate.

Other songs, such as "Better Do Better" and "Move on Now", are centred around the premise of how hard romantic relationships can be. "Better Do Better" is the fifth single from Indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their debut album Stars of CCTV. Once Hard-Fi were becoming successful Archer's mother had passed away, the song "Help Me Please" is about how difficult it was for him having his dreams come true after many unsuccessful bands but realises he has no parents to share the joy with. Similarly, "The King" is about Archer returning to Staines and finding everything completely different, and realising everything of which he knew and loved had disappeared. Archer describes "Little Angel" as Christina Aguilera having a fight with The Clash in a northern Soul club. Christina María Aguilera (born December 18 1980 is an American pop / R&B Singer and Songwriter. [35]

Following the release of Once Upon a Time in the West, the band received criticism for still singing about "bills dropping through their doors" despite not being poor anymore. Other publications label the lyrics as bland, such as the NME review of the album. [36]

Name

"Hard-Fi" is the name given to the sound produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, a Grammy award-winning reggae and dub artist, at his Black Ark[37] recording studio. Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry, on March 20, 1936, in Kendal Jamaica) is a reggae and dub artist who has been The Black Ark was the Recording studio of legendary Reggae and dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, located in the yard of his family's A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. Ideally the space is specially designed by an acoustician to achieve the desired acoustic properties (sound Being admirers of Perry's work, the band decided to name themselves after his distinctive sound. Archer said "Since then I've been desperately trying to find the biography where I read it; but I may have dreamt it. "[38]

Live

Hard-Fi in concert at Sala Caracol in Madrid, Spain, 2006
Hard-Fi in concert at Sala Caracol in Madrid, Spain, 2006

Hard-Fi's first live performance was in Manchester in 2003 before the band were signed. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. [39]

Hard-Fi usually begin their concerts with all lights turning off and "The Man With a Harmonica" by Ennio Morricone playing in the background. Soundtrack from the epic Spaghetti Western film of the same name directed by Sergio Leone. Ennio Morricone OMRI (born November 10, 1928) is an acclaimed Italian Academy Award -winning composer Once the track picks up pace the band come on and usually play "Middle Eastern Holiday", this is then usually followed by "Gotta Reason". " Tied Up Too Tight " is the second single from Hard-Fi 's debut album Stars of CCTV. For encore the band usually play "Living for the Weekend" and more recently acoustic renditions of "The King" and "Stars of CCTV". "Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from indie band Hard-Fi; it was released on September 19, 2005, and peaked at number [40]

They played London's Brixton Academy from 14 May-18 May, making them one of the few bands to play five consecutive sold-out nights there and the first to do so off the back of their debut album. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The Brixton Academy or Brixton is one of London 's leading music venues Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Events 1152 - Henry II of England marries Eleanor of Aquitaine. [41] After the success of the Stars of CCTV album and of hit single Hard to Beat allowed them to end up in a mini-reunion of the Specials, performing Ghost Town with Jerry Dammers and Neville Staples at the Love Music Hate Racism gig. "Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. The Specials (sometimes called The Special AKA) are an English 2 Tone Ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. A ghost town is a Town or City that has been abandoned usually because the economic activity that supported it has failed or due to natural or human-caused Jerry Dammers (born Jeremy Dammers 22 May 1955, Ootacamund, Tamil Nadu, South India) is a founder and keyboard player Neville Staple (born 11 April 1956, Christiana, Jamaica) was a Roadie -turned- Singer for the second-wave Ska Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR is a music-oriented campaign by the Anti-Nazi League and Unite Against Fascism. [42] Mick Jones of the Clash is a renowned fan of the band, while Paul Weller[43] came to their rehearsal rooms and jammed a version of "A Town Called Malice", something of which Kai Stephens says "gives us bragging rights over all of Staines" All of these artists were quite inspirational towards Hard-Fi while they were recording Stars of CCTV, perhaps the Specials and the Clash being the larger influences. Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones (born 26 June 1955 was the lead Guitarist and a vocalist of the British Punk rock band The For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Paul Weller (born John William Weller 25 May 1958 in Sheerwater near Woking, Surrey) is an English Singer-songwriter. " Town Called Malice " is a song recorded by The Jam from the album The Gift. [44]

Mick Jones also appeared with them performing E=MC² by his former band Big Audio Dynamite. "E=MC2" is a song written by Mick Jones, the guitarist and singer of The Clash and performed by his post-Clash band Big Audio Dynamite Big Audio Dynamite (later known as Big Audio Dynamite II and Big Audio, and often abbreviated BAD) were a British musical group formed in 1984 by the Jones had previously helped produce tracks by Richard Archer's prior band, Contempo who had recorded a cover of "London's Burning" by The Clash. London's Burning was a Television drama programme produced by London Weekend Television and focused on the lives of Blue Watch Firefighters [45]

Hard-Fi supported Green Day at their two gigs at Milton Keynes Bowl, England performing in front of a crowd of approximately 65,000 people. Green Day is an American rock trio The National Bowl is a 65000 capacity entertainment venue in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. [46]

During December 2005, the band played at London's historic Astoria. The London Astoria is a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road in London, England. This whole performance was filmed and the band released it on DVD called In Operation, the performance is in front of a hometown crowd, features all the tracks on Hard-Fi's 750,000 selling, #1 debut album Stars of CCTV, at the time brand new track "You And Me", which was later a B-Side to "Suburban Knights", and the band's version of "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. In Operation is the first live DVD from Hard-Fi, filmed at London's historic Astoria venue and the full live performance during their sold " Seven Nation Army " is the first track on the album Elephant by American Alternative rock band The White Stripes. The White Stripes is an American Garage rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. It also comes backed with CCTVersions – an exclusive CD which features dubbed versions of album tracks, produced by guests including Roots Manuva and DJ Wrongtom. Roots Manuva (born Rodney Smith, 1972 is a rapper from Stockwell, South London. Wrongtom is a DJ and record producer from South London in the UK and is probably most famous for being the in-house remixer and tour DJ for Indie-rock group Hard-Fi [47]

In December 2005, the group released an iTunes exclusive EP featuring five of their songs played during their sessions at AOL studios. The EP was called Sessions@AOL and featured the songs Gotta Reason, Cash Machine, Hard to Beat, Unnecessary Trouble and Better Do Better. Sessions@AOL is an EP composed of live audio performances by the English Alternative rock band Hard-Fi. This article is about the song For the article about cash dispensing machines see Automated teller machine.

Hard-Fi played a packed out 'secret' headlining slot on the Leftfield Stage on 23 June 2007 at Glastonbury. Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Although the band were still mixing the record at the time the crowd got to hear "We Need Love," "Can't Get Along (Without You)" and "Suburban Knights" before anyone else. "Can't Get Along (Without You" is a single from indie band Hard-Fi, taken from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West "Suburban Knights" is the first single from British band Hard-Fi 's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. The band also included a host of favourites from their debut album Stars of CCTV. The band played a series of sold-out, intimate dates later in July 2007 previewing the record. [48] This event was found so exciting by the UK Festival Awards they actually nominated the event in the category for Most Memorable Moment. [49]

Each concert from the band's December Uk Tour was recorded in its entirety on audio CD which could be ordered online through Concert Live or bought at the venue for £20. [50] The CD was titled Once Upon a Time in December. " Once Upon a Time in December " is a live CD from Hard-Fi, their second one ever filmed during the band's 2007 UK tour in December 2007 The first 1000 people to pay received signed copies, while available to all payers came a bundle of the next single "I Shall Overcome" which included an exclusive download of the song as well as versions on vinyl, Maxi CD and a collectors' CD. " I Shall Overcome " is the third single by indie band Hard-Fi from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West. All were delivered free of charge on day of release which was intended to be February 25, 2008 but ended up being 10 March 2008. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common [51][52] [53]

Africa Exprez

During Glastonbury, 2007, The band played at Damon Albarn's African Exprez stage. Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a Dry point on the Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Damon Albarn, ˈdɛɪmən ˈɔːɫbɑːn (b March 23 1968 in Leytonstone, London) is an English Singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead Archer says, "We played on Damon Albarn's Africa Express stage, we weren't the only band there, loads of other artists played. There were western artists and then obviously he'd bought over loads of African artists and I think that was the highlight of the whole of Glastonbury really. The rest you could say was just as commercial as any other festival now whereas that one was really keeping the original spirit of it. That was really just a grand moment, we just showed up and got up there"[54]

Steve cuts Archer to say "We got showed up by some really class musicians"[55]

Archer continues "Y'know, we're buskers in comparison, and I mean really bad buskers"[56]

On 6 March 2008, Franz Ferdinand, Reverend And The Makers and Hard-Fi teamed-up live onstage with a series of African musicians at Liverpool’s Olympia theatre as part of the Africa Exprez evening. This article is about the baseball player For the article about the drummer from Indie rock band Hard-Fi, see Steve Kemp (musician. Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Franz Ferdinand is a rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001 Reverend and The Makers are an Indie rock band based in Sheffield, England and signed to Wall of Sound. [57]

Other artists taking part included Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, The Aliens and Turin Brakes. Get Cape Wear Cape Fly is the stage name of English artist Sam Duckworth and his band The Aliens are a Scottish band consisting of former Beta Band members Gordon Anderson (aka Lone Pigeon, lead vocals, Guitar Turin Brakes are a modern Folk pop duo comprising Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian hailing from Balham London.

The show opened with every drummer in the building performing together.

Damon Albarn then made his first appearance of the evening introducing drummer Tony Allen, who joined the African pair. Damon Albarn, ˈdɛɪmən ˈɔːɫbɑːn (b March 23 1968 in Leytonstone, London) is an English Singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead Tony Allen may refer to Tony Allen ( Rhythm & Blues singer - recorded the hit song "Night Owl" Tony Allen (basketball, basketball

Hard-Fi followed Damon Albarn's performance with Tony Allen who was the drummer in Albarn's nameless band often referred to by their album title, The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Damon Albarn, ˈdɛɪmən ˈɔːɫbɑːn (b March 23 1968 in Leytonstone, London) is an English Singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead Tony Allen may refer to Tony Allen ( Rhythm & Blues singer - recorded the hit song "Night Owl" Tony Allen (basketball, basketball The Good the Bad & the Queen is the album by an unnamed British Alternative rock supergroup, made up of Damon Albarn, Paul The band came on with Amadou And Mariam again joining in on 'We Need Love'. After that the band played a short set including 'Hard To Beat' and 'Suburban Knights' where they shared vocals with French-Algerian vocalist Rachid Taha. At the end Mehdi Haddab as they covered The Cure’s ’Killing An Arab’ by request. The Cure are an English rock band that formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976 " Killing an Arab " was the first single by The Cure. [58]

Members

Main article: Hard-Fi members

Discography

Main article: Hard-Fi discography

Studio albums

Media

For Cash Machine the band released an X-rated version of the video for people to download on to their mobiles, featuring scenes that include nudity. The Discography of Hard-Fi, from their first EP, Cash Machine, released in 2004, to their second album Once Upon Stars of CCTV is the debut album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. Once Upon a Time in the West is the second album from Staines -based British band Hard-Fi. This article is about the song For the article about cash dispensing machines see Automated teller machine. They also have their own video podcast, which is known as 'Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City', that can be downloaded from their official website. Video podcast (sometimes shortened to vidcast or vodcast) is a term used for the online delivery of Video on demand Video clip content via In the first episode the bandmates discuss how they formed, and the rise of their successful album Stars of CCTV. They also discuss becoming increasingly more recognised, playing huge gigs with Green Day at the Milton Keynes Bowl, their home-town of Staines, and how it has influenced their music style. This talk is coupled with clips of some of Hard-Fi's music videos such as "Hard to Beat", "Cash Machine", "Tied Up Too Tight" and "Living for the Weekend". This article is about the song For the article about cash dispensing machines see Automated teller machine. " Tied Up Too Tight " is the second single from Hard-Fi 's debut album Stars of CCTV. "Living for the Weekend" is the fourth single from indie band Hard-Fi; it was released on September 19, 2005, and peaked at number Thirteen episodes have been released, so far, on iTunes. iTunes is a proprietary digital media player application introduced by Apple Inc They are also available to view on their MySpace and their channel on Youtube. MySpace is a popular social networking Website offering an interactive user-submitted network of friends personal profiles blogs groups photos music and YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload view and share Video clips YouTube was created in February 2005 by three former PayPal employees

In 2007, the band's podcast, Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City, was nominated for 'Best Podcast' at the Digital Music Awards. The song "Unnecessary Trouble" is featured prominently in the 2008 teen comedy Charlie Bartlett while "Hard to Beat" is featured in the 2006 film Employee of the Month. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Charlie Bartlett is a 2007 comedy from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about a teenager who becomes the unofficial psychiatrist for the student body Employee of the Month is a 2006 American Comedy film directed by Greg Coolidge and starring Dane Cook and Jessica

Advertising

Television appearances

Hard-Fi have appeared twice on Popworld interviewed by Simon Amstell, in one of these interviews it is found out that Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the role of Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series, is a fan of Hard-Fi's music. Popworld was a British Television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4, offering pop news trivia gossip interviews and music videos Simon Marc Amstell (born 29 November 1979 is a BAFTA nominated award-winning English Comedian and Television presenter. Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born 23 July 1989 is an English film television and stage actor Harry Potter is a series of seven Fantasy novels written by British author J The Harry Potter films are a fantasy series [59]

The band have also done an episode of 'Take Over' for MTV2 where an artist is allowed to take over the channel for 1 hour and play some of their favourite tracks, including material from the likes of The Clash and Eminem. MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on Digital cable and Satellite television, and is progressively being Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17 1972 known as Slim Shady and his primary Stage name Eminem, is an Academy Award -winning

Richard and drummer Steve Kemp also appeared on stv's Entertainment Now programme discussing Once Upon A Time In The West, its origins and the process of its creation. STV is the brand used by both ITV licensees in Northern and Central Scotland formerly known as Grampian TV (now legally STV North Ltd [60]

To promote themselves in the United States, the band performed Hard to Beat on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on June 13, 2006. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the "Hard to Beat" is the third single from indie band Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an Emmy Award -winning American late-night Talk show currently hosted by Jay Leno, on Events 1525 - Martin Luther marries Katharina von Bora, against the Celibacy rule decreed by the Roman Catholic Church for Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [61]

The band appeared as guests on the Friday Night Project on 10 August 2007 to promote their single Suburban Knights. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. They did not play live in Series 5, due to missing their flight back into the UK from Ibiza, and were therefore the first band to mime on the show. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ibiza (Eivissa is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea about 80 km off the coast of Spain [62]

As well as The Automatic, Hard-Fi is the only band to have appeared twice as the Guest Band, excluding Razorlight who have appeared in an aired episode and in the show's pilot episode. The Automatic, (also known as The Automatic Automatic in the U Razorlight are an English rock band formed in 2002 They are primarily known in their home country having topped the charts with the 2006 single America and

The band describe the day as "a real privilege. We played in front of a lot of people and learned a lot. We have a lot of good memories and new fans from these shows as well".

On November 23, 2007, Hard-Fi appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross where they performed a live rendition of "Tonight". Events 800 - Charlemagne arrives at Rome to investigate the alleged crimes of Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Friday Night with Jonathan Ross is a Chat show presented by Jonathan Ross. [63][64]

On December 1, 2007, the band performed the song "Television" on Saturday Night Live. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City [65]

On February 15, 2008, Hard-Fi appeared on Al Murray's Happy Hour, performing their single 'I Shall Overcome' and a cover of Queen's 'Another One Bites The Dust'. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common " I Shall Overcome " is the third single by indie band Hard-Fi from their second album Once Upon a Time in the West. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist " Another One Bites the Dust " is a 1980 Funk-rock song from the English rock band Queen. [66]

Views on downloads

The band have a very easy approach to downloading music. They have commented that,

“ It works both ways really, it's a really great way to discover a band - When we toured America our audience had only heard our material through internet, but this also means music is losing value now. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the [67] ”

References

  1. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi - Hard to Beat". aCharts. us.
  2. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi - Cash Machine". aCharts. us.
  3. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi - Living for the Weekend". aCharts. us.
  4. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi". aCharts. us.
  5. ^ Hard-Fi : Discography
  6. ^ Hard-Fi battle to beat Mercury odds. BBC.
  7. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV". aCharts. us.
  8. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV". aCharts. us.
  9. ^ Hard-Fi : Discography
  10. ^ "Music Charts: "Hard-Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West". aCharts. us.
  11. ^ MySpace.com - Hard-Fi - UK - Alternative / Indie / Punk - www.myspace.com/hardfi
  12. ^ 60 SECONDS: Richard Archer | Metro.co.uk
  13. ^ a b Hard-Fi flash (Flash). Hard-Fi.
  14. ^ Hard-Fi - Rockin' The City Video Podcast Part One (HTML). Hard-Fi.
  15. ^ Hard-Fi Interview - Nottingham Articles - LeftLion.co.uk
  16. ^ Hard-Fi Interview - Nottingham Articles - LeftLion.co.uk
  17. ^ Hard-Fi, Once Upon a Time in the West
  18. ^ BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Hard-Fi battle to beat Mercury odds
  19. ^ Drowned in Sound - News - Antony & The Johnsons take Mercury prize
  20. ^ YouTube - LEE RYAN & HARD FI - INTERVIEW(CDUK - 14.01.06)
  21. ^ Hard-Fi fell out with their record label
  22. ^ The Wild West Comes To Virgin (HTML). Hard-Fi HQ.
  23. ^ WIN TICKETS TO INTIMATE RADIO 1 SHOW (HTML). Hard-Fi HQ.
  24. ^ Steve Kemp interview (HTML). Aced Magazine.
  25. ^ Guardian Unlimited: Arts blog - music: Always judge an album by its cover
  26. ^ Hard-Fi's 'subversive' artwork slammed by NME readers | News | NME.COM
  27. ^ Hard-Fi Timeline (HTML). Channel 4.
  28. ^ Hard-Fi News (HTML). Crud Magazine.
  29. ^ Listen to Once Upon a Time in the West on MYSPACE - Topic Powered by eve community
  30. ^ Once Upon a Time in the West Review (OMM) (HTML). Observer Music Monthly.
  31. ^ Records of the year - Times Online
  32. ^ NME Video: Hard-Fi @ Koko
  33. ^ Hard Fi Interview - INTERVIEWS - I Like Music
  34. ^ Hard-Fi want to be the world's biggest band. But first they have to open a pub in Staines ... | | Guardian Unlimited Arts
  35. ^ NME TV - Hard-Fi track by track album interview (HTML). NME. The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been
  36. ^ Hard-Fi - Hard-Fi - Once Upon A Time In The West - Album Reviews - NME.COM
  37. ^ The Black Ark Lee Scratch Perry and the Upsetters Classic Dub Roots and Reggae community
  38. ^ Hard-Fi Interview - Nottingham Articles - LeftLion.co.uk
  39. ^ Hard Fi Tickets, Cheap Hard Fi Tickets: Ticket Nest
  40. ^ Hard-Fi @ Astoria, London : gig review
  41. ^ Drowned in Sound - News - Hard-Fi play five night Brixton Academy jaunt
  42. ^ Hard-Fi team up with very special guest | News | NME.COM
  43. ^ Hard-Fi team up with very special guest | News | NME.COM
  44. ^ Hard-Fi team up with very special guest | News | NME.COM
  45. ^ Hard-Fi team up with very special guest | News | NME.COM
  46. ^ Green Day - Milton Keynes Bowl 2005
  47. ^ HMV.com: albums: In Operation: Bonus Dvd (2006)
  48. ^ Love Music Hate Racism » Blog Archive » Hard-Fi Confirmed To Headline Love Music Hate Racism Show @ Glastonbury’S Left Field Stage This Weekend
  49. ^ UK Festival Awards (2007) :: Glastonbury Festival 2007
  50. ^ Concert Live | Live CDs | Hard-Fi | Once Upon a Time in December
  51. ^ Hard-Fi : News
  52. ^ Concert Live | Live CDs | Hard-Fi | Once Upon a Time in December
  53. ^ Concert Live | Live CDs | Hard-Fi | Once Upon a Time in December
  54. ^ Hard-Fi interview by Orange
  55. ^ Hard-Fi interview by Orange
  56. ^ Hard-Fi interview by Orange
  57. ^ Franz Ferdinand and Damon Albarn play unique gig
  58. ^ Franz Ferdinand and Damon Albarn play unique gig
  59. ^ Hard-Fi on Popworld again video interview with Simon Amstell
  60. ^ Hard-Fi: Still working Hard video interview with stv. tv/music
  61. ^ Jack Black; Car-Parazzi Kids; HARD-Fi
  62. ^ Hard-Fi on the Friday Night Project
  63. ^ TV.Com, Daniel Craig, Jack Dee, Russell Brand, Hard Fi.
  64. ^ YouTube - Broadcast Yourself
  65. ^ Hard-Fi : News
  66. ^ Hard-Fi : News
  67. ^ Hard-Fi interview by Orange

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