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Hard-Fi biography
HARD-FI BIOGRAPHY
Hard-Fi Biography
Hailing from Staines, the suburban Surrey wasteland that also brought the world Ali G, Hard-Fi could claim to be the real deal, the group that really do speak to and for the disillusioned youth. With a washed-out, fed up and frustrated sound that evokes a Blair's Britain update of the Specials (who had captured so well the sinister, discontent of Thatcher-era suburbia), the group, led by front-man Richard Archer, have strived for far-reaching success since forming in the early noughties. They took a delightfully home-made approach both to recording their debut album, Stars of CCTV (2005) - which was laid down in a variety of largely un-soundproofed locations - and also to their videos. The bulk of the promo for their first single, 'Cash Machine', was shot in a mad ten minutes on a Heathrow airport runway, with planes flying overhead, after the group had scaled the fences and set up as quickly as possible. Who needs permission when you're on a mission? And with plaudits flying in from such luminaries as Rick Rubin, not to mention a Mercury Prize nomination and number 1 in the album charts in 2005, they could safely assume that they are onto something.
Formed after the split up of Archer's first group, 'Contempo', the band comprised music graduate Archer (vocals), Ross Phillips (guitar), Kai Stephens (bass) and Steven Kemp (drums). Archer had recently returned to Staines after the death of his father, and having also run out of money, so he could sign on to the dole in his home town. The shock he felt upon returning to the suburban satellite, and its lack of any form of youth culture, stunned the young muso. Undeterred by the demise of Contempo, Archer had persisted with writing and recording music, spurred on by the encouragement and stubbornness instilled in him by his late father: '...he was the one who'd always tell me to pursue my dream. He'd been working for other people his entire life and wouldn't let the bastards get him down. He inspired em to get out there and kick some arse.'
Archer would go into the Staines hi-fi shop where Phillips worked, on the pretence of wanting to buy equipment, simply so he could listen to his latest demos on the shop's best stereo gear. Having reportedly told Archer his demos were 'rubbish', Phillips was recruited to play guitar for the new group. The bassist had an even better back-story - they'd poached him from his job at Rentokil, where he had supposedly become disillusioned with the 'constant death'. Well, that kind of thing can be such a downer, after all. Still, the pest control industry's loss was certainly the music industry's gain. Lancastrian Kemp completed the foursome on drums.
They set about recording as a group, renting out a dilapidated former taxi-office for £300 and doing it all on a shoe-string. That their debut album, 2005's 'Stars of CCTV' should capture so perfectly the feel of suburban street life and disillusionment must surely have been because of these humble surroundings rather than despite them. The NME was not alone in this fulsome praise of this budget DIY masterpiece, stating that the band was '...welded to the sounds of the streets like spat-out gum to hot pavement. 'Stars Of CCTV' delivers a series of hopeful anthems to a disaffected youth. Hoodies, cash points and binge drinking - Hard-Fi are an ASBO waiting to happen'.
Lead single 'Cash Machine' was a suitably mournful study of life as one of suburbia's underclass, dealing with all-too-real issues such as teen pregnancy, living a hand to mouth existence, and generally being skint - all while a cash-point taunts its user with the bald fact that he has no money. And although their follow-ups 'Hard to Beat' and 'Living for the Weekend' were on the surface of it much more upbeat and positive takes on the human condition, the latter in particular bore much more similarity to a gritty kitchen-sink drama, grinding out the nine-to-five in order to enjoy Friday night, than any blissed-out pop celebration of being young and free when the weekend rolls around.
Whilst this could not necessarily be viewed as the most easily marketable of styles, the group enjoyed major chart success, not least for the album, which hit the number one spot. MTV spots followed, as did the critical plaudits. 'Britain's most arrestingly cool new band' said the Guardian, and the Sun was even more glowing: 'Pure foot-stomping anthemic genius, music that has Oasis potential. Sure-fire rock-pop gods in the making'.
They came close to winning the Mercury prize in 2005, but perhaps that was something of a blessing - the Mercury can often be something of a millstone - I mean, what's Antony and the Johnsons, that years winners, up to now? Dizzee Rascal, anyone? And perhaps the very reason that Hard-Fi were not shoo-ins for the Mercury was that their polished sound and perceptibly inevitable fame had them written off as prize-winners from the start.
The Atlantic label, to whom they had signed, adopted a canny marketing campaign, which saw the album scale the charts, finally making it all the way to no. 1 by the third week of January 2006. Cash Machine also saw a re-release, reaching no. 14, and two Brit nominations: Best British Group and Best British Rock Act - losing out to Leeds's Kaiser Chiefs on both counts. Still, their assault on the charts and on pop consciousness continued. The fifth single to be released from their debut album, 'Better do Better', reached number 14 in the UK chart, and achieved the rather culty landmark of being used as background music for the BBC's Doctor Who spin-off sci-fi series, 'Torchwood'.
They sold out their first major tour within quarter of an hour. Furthermore, they performed five consecutive sell-out nights at the Brixton Academy, making them one of the few acts to do so in pop history, emulating Bob Dylan, the Prodigy and The Clash. And looking ahead to their new album (slated for release in September 2007, following the lead single's release in August), this is clearly not the only way in which the band wish to emulate the Clash: 'Before we started the LP we wanted to make something that sounded dark, atmospheric, with elements of the Clash and Stones - and we've really fucking nailed that. 'CCTV' was put it on and turn it up, this is sharper, more tactical and raw.'
As for an album title, the moniker they adopted was a straight-forward pinch from a spaghetti western they had been watching on the tour bus. 'Once Upon a Time in the West' (2007), when you think about it, seems a perfect title for a collection of 12 songs about life in a west London suburb, and as Archer comments, '...these are stories from our west - West London.' Lead single 'Subrban Knights' is released on August 12th, and looks set to continue Hard-Fi's heritage of making hard-nosed, hard-living, anthemic rock music.
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