Hard-Fi facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Hard-Fi
Hard-Fi at the 2006 Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel, Germany
Background information
Origin	Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, England
Genres	Indie rock, alternative rock
Years active	2003–2014, 2022—present
Labels	Necessary Atlantic
Associated acts	Contempo

Members	Richard Archer Steve Kemp Kai Stephens Ross Phillips

Hard-Fi is an English indie rock band. They formed in 2003 in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. The band's main members are Richard Archer (who sings and plays guitar), Kai Stephens (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Steve Kemp (drums and backing vocals). Ross Phillips, a founding member, left in 2013 but rejoined for a special concert and a greatest hits album in 2014.

The band became famous with their song "Hard to Beat". Other popular songs include "Living for the Weekend" and "Cash Machine". All these songs reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart. Their first album, Stars of CCTV, came out in 2005. It was praised by critics and was nominated for the Mercury Prize. It also received two Brit Award nominations. The album reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart in 2006.

Their second album, Once Upon a Time in the West, was released in 2007. It went straight to number 1 in its first week. Their third album, Killer Sounds, came out in 2011. It included the songs "Good for Nothing" and "Fire in the House". The band took a break in 2014 but reunited in 2022.

History
Musical Style
Band Name
Live Performances
Discography
Images for kids
See also

History

How Hard-Fi Started

Before Hard-Fi, Richard Archer was in a band called Contempo. When that band didn't succeed, he moved back to his hometown of Staines. He also faced the sad loss of his father. Archer said he was "crushed" by these events.

Archer wanted to record new songs he had written. But his music publishers ended his contract instead of giving him money. People in the music business even tried to tell his manager not to work with him.

Forming the Band and Early Success

While making demo songs, Archer visited a hi-fi shop in Staines. He wanted to hear his music on good speakers. Ross Phillips, who worked there, asked who played guitar on the demos. Archer said it was him. This is how Ross Phillips joined the band.

Steve Kemp was already a friend of Archer's. Kai Stephens was working as a "pest killer" for Rentokil. It didn't take much to convince him to join the band. Before joining Hard-Fi, Stephens liked to play guitar by copying songs from bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. He also liked The Clash and hip-hop groups like Run DMC.

The band signed with a new independent record label called Necessary Records. Most of their first album, Stars of CCTV, was recorded in unusual places. They used bedrooms, pubs, and even a disused mini cab office. This office cost them about £300 and they called it the "Cherry Lips" Studio.

To make their music sound more interesting, they put a microphone in the hallway. This added an echo effect. If you listen closely to the record, you can hear people humming or whistling. You might even hear airplanes flying overhead.

They first made 1000 copies of their record. The plan was to sell 1000 copies each time. But the record sold out very quickly. It received good reviews and was played on the radio. This was much more successful than the band expected.

In December 2004, a bigger record label, Atlantic Records, signed the band. They offered Hard-Fi the chance to re-record their album in famous studios like Abbey Road Studios. But the band decided to go back to the cab office. They wanted to keep their unique sound.

Stars of CCTV Album

The band opened for Green Day at the Milton Keynes Bowl in June 2005. Their debut album's launch party was planned for July 7, 2005. But it was canceled because Richard's mother was ill. The London bombings also happened that day. Because of his mother's death, the band also pulled out of the Glastonbury festival. The launch party was rescheduled for July 13, 2005, in London.

The Stars of CCTV album re-entered the UK album chart at number 4 in January 2006. It finally reached number 1 on January 22. The re-release of their song "Cash Machine" also entered the Top 40 singles chart at number 14. The album has sold 1.2 million copies worldwide. Over 600,000 copies were sold in the UK alone.

Hard-Fi became more well-known when Stars of CCTV was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. The album received a score of 74 out of 100 on Metacritic, a website that collects reviews.

In February 2006, the band was nominated for two BRIT Awards. These were Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. Richard Archer said he didn't think they would win, especially against big bands like Coldplay. But he was happy that the nominations showed a wide range of music.

Once Upon a Time in the West Album

Hard-Fi made their "Cherry Lips" studio bigger. They added more space for equipment. Archer said the new record would be "darker and more expansive." One idea for the album's name was "Bat out of Staines."

The first song from the album was "Suburban Knights". It was released on August 20. The album Once Upon a Time in the West came out on September 3, 2007. The band celebrated by performing live at a Virgin Megastore in London at midnight. The next day, they played at Maida Vale Studios for a small audience.

The album cover for Once Upon a Time in the West is orange. It has the album title at the top and "NO COVER ART." written in large white letters. Some people didn't like the artwork. However, famous designer Peter Saville called it "a 'White Album' for the digital culture."

On September 9, 2007, Once Upon a Time in the West went straight to number 1 on the UK Albums Chart. This gave Hard-Fi their second number 1 album. It received good reviews, including five stars from The Observer Monthly. It scored 70 out of 100 on Metacritic.

This album was more popular than Stars of CCTV in other countries. It reached the Top 10 chart in Japan. Countries in South America also showed interest. "Suburban Knights" charted in many of their countries. The second song, "Can't Get Along (Without You)", was number 1 in Peru and Argentina for two weeks. The third song, "I Shall Overcome", was released in the UK in March 2008. It also reached the top five in South America.

Killer Sounds Album

In December 2008, Hard-Fi sent a Christmas message to their fans. They said they would be back with "a wicked new album" in the new year.

On February 2, 2009, Ross Phillips wrote on the band's Myspace page. He said they were working hard on new songs in the "cherry lips recording facility." He added that the album was "sounding great."

On October 29, 2010, Hard-Fi posted on their website. They said they were starting to produce their new album.

On February 14, 2011, Archer updated the band's Facebook page. He said that six of the eleven album songs were already mixed. Producers like Stuart Price and Greg Kurstin worked with Hard-Fi on this album. On March 7, Hard-Fi confirmed they were close to finishing the album. Archer said they were mixing the final songs and thinking about photos, videos, and artwork. He also mentioned doing some gigs soon.

On April 28, Hard-Fi's new song "Good for Nothing" was played on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show. Archer announced that the album would be called Killer Sounds. The song was released on June 17. It reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart and number 2 on the UK Rock Chart.

The second song from the album was "Fire in the House", released on August 7, 2011. Killer Sounds was officially released on August 22. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 9. "Bring It On" was the third and final song, released on October 24, 2011. The album's release in the USA and Canada was delayed until March 15, 2013.

Greatest Hits and Break

In March 2012, Archer told Gigwise that Hard-Fi hoped to release their next album sooner. Their last two albums had a four-year gap between them. In March 2013, the band shared some samples of new music on their official Facebook page.

On May 6, 2013, the band announced that Ross Phillips was leaving. He wanted to focus on "different things."

On November 27, 2013, it was announced that Hard-Fi would release a greatest hits album. It was called Hard-Fi: Best of 2004 – 2014. The album came out on January 27, 2014. They also played a special sold-out concert in London on February 13, 2014. Ross Phillips joined them for this show.

The band did not release any new music after this. They later said on Twitter that they were on a break, not completely broken up.

Reunion

In January 2022, a photo was posted from the band's official Twitter account. It showed them in a recording studio. This hinted that their nearly 8-year break might be ending.

In April 2022, posters appeared in London underground stations. They showed the band's yellow and black camera logo. The text said "London 01.10.22." This suggested the band would play their first live show since 2014. On April 24, Archer shared details of the concert during a Facebook Live stream. The show would be at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town on October 1. He confirmed that all original members, including Ross Phillips, would be there.

Musical Style

Hard-Fi's songs often talk about everyday working-class life. The band members grew up in a normal suburban area in Staines. You can hear this in songs like "Suburban Knights" and "Living for the Weekend". Other songs, like "Tonight," are about suburban life but focus more on dreams. Some songs are about real social issues. "Feltham is Singing Out" was inspired by a young person who was sadly murdered in a youth prison.

Other songs, like "Better Do Better" and "Move on Now," are about how challenging romantic relationships can be. When Hard-Fi became successful, Richard Archer's mother passed away. The song "Help Me Please" is about how hard it was for him to achieve his dreams but not have his parents to share the joy with. "The King" is about Richard returning to Staines and finding that everything he knew had changed. He described "Little Angel" as sounding like Christina Aguilera fighting with The Clash in a Northern Soul club.

Archer said that soul and dance music were big influences on their sound.

Band Name

The name "Hard-Fi" comes from a sound created by Lee "Scratch" Perry. He is a reggae and dub artist. He made this special sound at his Black Ark recording studio. The band admired Perry's work and named themselves after his unique sound. Archer mentioned that he read about this but sometimes wonders if he dreamt it.

Live Performances

Hard-Fi in concert at Sala Caracol in Madrid, Spain, 2006

Hard-Fi's very first live performance was in 2003. It was at a music event in Manchester before they even had a record deal.

They played five sold-out nights in a row at London's Brixton Academy in May. This was a big achievement for a band with only one album out. After the success of Stars of CCTV and "Hard to Beat", they even performed with members of The Specials. They played "Ghost Town" at a Love Music Hate Racism concert.

Mick Jones from The Clash is a known fan of Hard-Fi. Paul Weller even visited their rehearsal rooms and jammed with them. He played a version of "Town Called Malice". Kai Stephens said this gave them "bragging rights over all of Staines." These artists, especially The Specials and The Clash, were big inspirations for Hard-Fi when they recorded Stars of CCTV.

Mick Jones also performed with Hard-Fi. He played "E=MC²" by his old band, Big Audio Dynamite. Jones had previously helped produce songs for Archer's earlier band, Contempo.

Hard-Fi supported Green Day at two concerts at Milton Keynes Bowl. They played in front of about 65,000 people.

In December 2005, the band played at the London Astoria. This performance was filmed and released on a DVD called In Operation. The DVD includes all the songs from Stars of CCTV plus "You And Me" and their version of "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. It also came with a CD of remixed album songs.

In February 2006, Hard-Fi played at the Hammersmith Palais. This was part of the NME Awards shows. They played with Boy Kill Boy, who they often toured with early on.

In July 2007, the band played a series of sold-out, smaller concerts. They previewed songs from their new record. One of these events was nominated for "Most Memorable Moment" at the UK Festival Awards.

Each concert from the band's December UK Tour was recorded live on audio CD. Fans could order these online or buy them at the venue. The CD was called Once Upon a Time in December. It was also bundled with their next song, "I Shall Overcome".

Discography

Stars of CCTV (2005)
Once Upon a Time in the West (2007)
Killer Sounds (2011)

Hard-Fi also had their own video podcast called Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City. It was available on their website, iTunes, Myspace page, and YouTube channel. In 2007, Hard-Fi: Rockin' the City was nominated for "Best Podcast" at the Digital Music Awards.

Images for kids

Hard-Fi at the 2006 Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel, Germany
Hard-Fi in concert at Sala Caracol in Madrid, Spain, 2006