Tickets are now available for Hard-Fi at Rock City!
Though regularly heard over the years, calls for HARD-FI’s return became particularly vocal during the 2020 lockdown. After Richard Archer staged a solo, livestream show for charity from his home. Performing the group’s acclaimed debut album, Stars Of CCTV in full. Once live music returned, a show with the full original HARD-FI of Archer, Kai Stephens (bass), Steve Kemp (drums) and Ross Phillips (guitar) seemed a logical next step.
Not only due to the fan’s clamour but also down to way in which the Staines-based group’s influence has been increasingly being felt on a new generation of artists. Who similarly fuse dancefloor-friendly grooves and beats with words that candidly chart modern life. In addition, supporters of Brentford FC were regularly regaled by the band’s 2005 single, Hard To Beat. As the team made its way up to the Premier League for the first time ever. A full UK tour from HARD-FI is a welcome addition to the fixture list.
Bio
Having made their debut with the Mercury Prize-nominated Stars Of CCTV in 2005, the four-piece proved progressive yet accessible. As with its tales of high street life, club-driven weekends. Also keeping your head above water on the breadline, the album yielded five Top 40 singles.
Stars Of CCTV itself reached No.1 and has since gone double platinum in the UK alone. Second studio LP, Once Upon A Time In The West, also topped the charts, while its lead single Suburban Knights became a Top 10 hit and a firm life favourite at festivals around the globe.
Third album, Killer Sounds, boasted tracks produced by Stuart Price (Madonna, The Killers, Dua Lipa), Greg Kirsten (Lily Allen, Beck, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters), Andy Grey (Paul Oakenfold, U2) and Hard-Fi’s long-term producer and collaborator Wolsey White. It too was a Top 10 hit.
Having played one of the longest residencies at O2 Academy Brixton (a feat they share with the likes of Bob Dylan, The Clash and The XX) after the band performed at the landmark London venue for five nights straight in 2006, Hard-Fi’s shows have been consistently praised by critics and gig-goers alike for living up to good times invoked by their anthemic single, Living For The Weekend.
Their first full UK Tour in over a decade promises to be one of the hottest tickets of 2023.
For more events, check out our gig guide here.
