Hard-Fi
Hard-Fi is an English indie rock band, formed in 2003 in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. The band consists of Richard Archer (lead vocals and guitar), Ross Phillips (guitar and backing vocals), Kai Stephens (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Steve Kemp (drums and backing vocals).
Hard-Fi
Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
- 2003–2014
- 2022–present
- Richard Archer
- Steve Kemp
- Kai Stephens
- Ross Phillips
They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat"[1] and then followed by other successful singles such as "Living for the Weekend"[2] and "Cash Machine",[3] which all reached the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart.[4] Their debut album Stars of CCTV was released on 4 July 2005,[5] and although receiving critical acclaim (NME called it the 23rd best album of 2005 and it was nominated for the Mercury Prize and two Brit Awards; Best British Group and Best British Rock Act),[6][7] it did not reach No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart until six months later on 22 January 2006.[8] It originally entered the charts at number 6.[8]
The band's second album Once Upon a Time in the West was released on 3 September 2007[5] and reached number 1 in its first week.[9] Their third album Killer Sounds, which features the singles "Good for Nothing", "Fire in the House" and "Bring It On", was released on 19 August 2011 and debuted at number 9 on the UK Albums Chart. The band went on hiatus after releasing a greatest hits album in 2014. They reunited in 2022 and released new material in 2024.
History[edit]
Contempo band[edit]
Richard Archer decided to return to his hometown of Staines, crushed by the lack of success of his former band Contempo and the death of his father from cancer. He said "I moved back to Staines because I ran out of money and it was quite a shock."
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."[10][11]
Formation and early success[edit]
While Archer was making demos to produce an album, he went into the Staines hi-fi shop where Ross Phillips worked, simply so he could listen to his latest demos on the shop's best equipment. Philips apparently asked Archer who had played guitar on his demos and Archer said that it was himself. Phillips said it was "shit"[12] and was therefore recruited to play guitar for the new group. Steve Kemp was already an old friend of Archer, while it took Kai Stephens little persuasion to leave his job as a "pest killer" at Rentokil.[12] When Stephens played guitar before joining Hard-Fi, he liked to copy chords from bands such as Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd who are two of his favourite artists along with The Clash and hip-hop acts such as Run-DMC and N.W.A.[13]
The band were signed to newly formed independent label Necessary Records, owned by Clarke. 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. 1,000 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. Most of the album was recorded in a disused mini cab office, which cost them about £300 and is known to this day as the "Cherry Lips" Studio. The band used to try to make their music sound more atmospheric by putting a microphone in the corridor to add echo; listening closely to the record reveals that this also picked up passers-by humming and whistling and the occasional aeroplane flying overhead.[14]
Archer desperately tried to generate publicity for the band through the Staines Observer, 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."[15]
The band were then licensed to the major label Atlantic Records in December 2004, where they were given the chance to re-record the album in the renowned Abbey Road Studios, among other well known studios, however they went back to the cab office to maintain their sound.[16]
Musical style[edit]
Hard-Fi's lyrics are based mostly on working class life, the band themselves coming from a self-sufficient suburban lifestyle in Staines.[10] This is 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. Some songs are also based on social realism, "Feltham is Singing Out" is inspired by Zahid Mubarek[50] who was sent to the Feltham Young Offenders' Institution and was 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. Once Hard-Fi were becoming successful, Richard's mother died and 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 Richard returning to Staines and finding everything completely different, and realising everything of which he knew and loved had disappeared. He describes "Little Angel" as Christina Aguilera having a fight with The Clash in a Northern Soul club.[51]
Archer stated that they were heavily influenced by soul and dance music.[52]
Name[edit]
"Hard-Fi" is the name given to the sound produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, a reggae and dub artist, at his Black Ark[53] recording studio. Being admirers of Perry's work, the band named 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."[12]
Hard-Fi have their own video podcast, which is known as Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City, available on their website, iTunes, Myspace page and YouTube channel.[66] In 2007 Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City was nominated for "Best Podcast" at the Digital Music Awards.