All about this artist
Biography:
Originating from the soulless commuter town of Staines on the outskirts of Greater London, this UK band was formed in 2002 by Richard Archer (vocals; ex-Contempo), Steve Kemp (drums), Ross Phillips (guitar) and Kai Stephens (bass). The quartet was drawn together by the lack of employment opportunities and the bleak cultural life on offer in their home-town.
Lack of resources did not prove an obstacle as they scraped together enough money to record the six-track mini-album Stars Of CCTV, converting an old mini-cab office into a makeshift studio for their purposes. Released on Necessary Records in October 2004 in a strictly limited edition run of 500 copies, the album was an immediate hit and took only a few weeks to sell out.
The quartet's thrilling, contemporary take on the late 70s fusion of punk, dub and disco popularised by the Clash and the Specials raised admiring eyebrows in the UK music industry, and a major label recording contract was quickly arranged with Atlantic Records.
The band returned to their makeshift studio (lovingly dubbed Cherry Lips) to rework several tracks from their mini-album, in addition to recording new material for their debut album of the same title. The debut Hard-Fi single "Cash Machine" was typical of the band's approach, a cri de coeur for the hard drinking, minimum wage generation driven by an insistent dub bassline.
The band celebrated the release of the full-length version of Stars Of CCTV in July 2005 by reaching the UK Top 10 with their third single, "Hard To Beat". Stars Of CCTV was also nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and belatedly topped the UK charts at the start of 2006.
