Background information
Origin	Staines, England
Genre(s)	Indie rock
Years active	2003–present
Label(s)	Necessary/Warner (UK) Atlantic (US)
Website	Official website
Members
Richard Archer Ross Phillips Kai Stephens Steven Kemp

Hard-Fi are an Indie rock band from Staines, Surrey - a suburban location that has significantly influenced their musical style and lyrics.

Contents 1 History 2 Mainstream success 3 Current recording sessions 4 Members 5 Discography 5.1 Albums 5.2 Singles 6 External links

History

The band were signed to newly formed independent label, Necessary Records, owned by Warren Clarke. Originally recorded as a nine track mini-album in a disused mini cab office; it was then mixed in a variety of unusual acoustic environments - in bedrooms, in pubs, and in their producer, Wolsey White's, BMW. 1000 copies of this record were pressed with only 500 going on public sale. It quickly sold, receiving critical acclaim and radio play.

The band were then licensed to the Atlantic Records label (a major), where they were given the chance to re-record the album. The band went back to the cab office to maintain their unique sound.

Mainstream success

Their debut album's launch party was scheduled to be July 7 2005 at Cheekees night club in Staines (where their top ten single "Hard to Beat" was filmed), however this was cancelled due to the ill health of Archer's mother. Her death resulted in the band pulling out of the Glastonbury festival. The launch party was rescheduled for July 13 2005 and the venue changed to Ladbroke Grove, London.

Hard-Fi gained increased prominence in the UK when Stars of CCTV was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. [1] It split the vote with Antony and the Johnsons who received the final casting vote.

Hard-Fi supported Green Day at their two massive gigs at Milton Keynes Bowl, England.

After a successful marketing campaign by Atlantic, the Stars of CCTV album re-entered the official UK album chart at No.4 on January 1, 2006. Two places higher than it originally went in on the week of its release, the album climbed from No.33. Stars of CCTV finally climbed to No.1 on January 22, 2006. The band's re-release of Cash Machine entered the official Top 40 singles chart at No.14 on January 1. A week later the band toasted national recognition as they received two Brit award nominations.

Hard-Fi's first full length tour of 2006 sold out in just 15 minutes calling for more dates to be added. They played London's Brixton Academy from May 14 to May 18, making them one of the few bands to play 5 consecutive nights there. The other artists to do so were The Clash, Bob Dylan, Massive Attack and The Prodigy. However, they were the only band to do it off the back of their debut album.

They were also joined on stage by Paul Weller to perform Town Called Malice and Stars of CCTV. Mick Jones, formerly of the band The Clash and Big Audio Dynamite also appeared with them doing E=MC². He had previously helped produce tracks by Richard Archer's prior band, Contempo.

They also have their own video podcast, which is known as 'Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City', that can be downloaded from their official website. 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". Eleven episodes have been released, so far, on iTunes. They are also available to view on their MySpace and their channel on Youtube.

Current recording sessions

Hard-Fi have built their own studio for the follow up to 2005's massive-selling debut album 'Stars of CCTV'.Having searched fruitlessly for a space, the Staines four-piece have retreated to their hometown for the record, which frontman Richard Archer describes as "darker" and "more expansive".

The new single, Suburban Knights, is due to be released on 20 August. The new single had its first play on 18 June 2007 at 19.20 (BST) on Radio 1. The new album Once Upon A Time In The West is scheduled for release on 3 September 2007. Other tracks stated to appear on the album include R&B swagger Can't Get Along, the 70’s ska-inspired We Need Love, Help Me Please, a track written about the death of Richard’s mother, a big piano-driven number Tonight and I Shall Overcome which echoes an early The Clash.

Hard-Fi played a packed out 'secret' headlining slot on the Leftfield Stage on 23 June 2007 at Glastonbury. Although they are currently in the studio mixing the record the crowd got to hear We Need Love, Can't Get Along and forthcoming single Suburban Knights before anyone else. The band also included a host of favourites from their debut album Stars Of CCTV. The band will play a series of sold-out, intimate dates later in July 2007 previewing the record.

Album cover of Once Upon A Time In The West will have a plain yellow background with the album title at the top, and NO COVER ART written in large white letters below. Their artwork for their forthcoming single, Suburban Knights, will feature a plain black background, with, EXPENSIVE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO OF BAND NOT AVAILABLE written on the front in yellow writing. "We wanted to break the rules," said NME recently Richard Archer. "We don't need some airbrushed band shot just because it might be expected. Fuck that. This is about the music." Already, the cover has been slated as one of the worst of all time.[2]

Members

Richard Archer is the group's frontman as the lead singer and principal songwriter. He also plays guitar live occasionally. He is a music graduate from Kingston University. The influence of Staines is often evident in his lyrics.

Ross Phillips contributes guitar and backing vocals. He worked in a local hi-fi shop, in Staines where Archer would come to play his demos on the latest systems. After telling Archer his music was rubbish, Phillips was recruited to play lead guitar for the group.

Kai Stephens plays bass and also sings backing vocals. He initially could not travel to the USA due to past misdemeanors. He has finally received his US visa.

Steven Kemp plays drums. Originally from Lancashire but moved down in his late teens due to a course and never left.

Wolsey White is the band's producer. He is also from Staines. Was previously in a band called Supermodel.

Wrongtom is the in-house remixer and tour DJ.

Discography

(with UK chart positions)

Albums

Album Art	Title	Release Date	UK Chart Position	Certification	Country
	Stars of CCTV	4 July 2005	1	2x Platinum - Platinum -	United Kingdom Ireland
	In Operation	8 May 2006	62
	Once Upon a Time in the West	3 September 2007

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions			Album
		UK	UK DL	U. S. Modern Rock
2004	"Cash Machine" EP	–	–	–	Stars of CCTV
2005	"Cash Machine" (original release)	–	–	–
	"Tied Up Too Tight"	15	–	–
	"Hard to Beat"	9	9	34
	"Living for the Weekend"	15	27	–
	"Cash Machine"	14	18	15
2006	"Better do Better"	14	–	–
2007	"Suburban Knights"	–	–	–	Once Upon a Time in the West

External links

• Official website
• Official Myspace
• Hard-Fi fansite and Message Board
• Hard-Fi interview on ilikemusic.com 2005
• Wrongtom's home page
• Wrongtom's Myspace
• Official Youtube channel
• New album/single details 2007