Stars Of Cctv - Hard-Fi

I vividly recall a joking account of the current 'Garage Rock Revival' that's been on the go since The Strokes released their debut album 'Is This It' that stated the minute it stopped being cool to like the New York 5-piece was when more girls started liking them than guys. While the article was tongue-in-cheek, I can't help but be reminded of it every time I'm confronted by Hard-Fi. Hailing from Staines, which previously had a claim to fame of being the hometown of the character Ali G, Hard-Fi are a band undoubtedly based and almost unashamedly marketed around the fact lead singer Richard Archer is a good looking guy. At least, upon listening to the band's debut album ...  Read the complete review

Well I did say there were quite a few albums I could review and another big hit I’ve discovered recently is “Stars of CCTV” by newcomers Hard-fi. With the news that Embrace are about to release some new material, it seemed like a good time to rejoice in these halcyon days of all things indie. So I jumped aboard the Hard-Fi bandwagon in a shamefully populist move having seen them feature on shows like SoccerAM and the like and what I’d heard music-wise, I’d really liked. Hard-Fi is: Richard Archer (vocals), Ross Philips (guitar), Kai Stephens (bass) and Steve Kemp (drums). 'Stars Of CCTV' is Hard-Fi's debut album. Several of the tracks should be familiar as the ...  Read the complete review

Of the very few things my ex ever gave me that was any decent Stars of CCTV by Hard-Fi was probably the best (the rest of the time it was take take take), so with memories (and my phone playing the album) I've decided to share with you one of the gems of the indie revolution of the early 21st century in Britain. Hard-Fi were formed in 2003 in Staines (yes the home of Ali G), as a 4 piece ( Richard Archer (vocals and guitar), Kai Stephens (bass guitar), Ross Phillips (guitar) and Steve Kemp (drums)) alternative rock band. Their debut album was Stars of CCTV released in 2005 but it wasn't until 2006 that the album peaked (reaching #1 in the UK charts) after the ...  Read the complete review

Hard to believe that this album is amost four years old now but today I dug it out at work and gave it a little listen again in the kitchen. I bought this down to mostly media peer pressure and rave reviews at the time, and in fact quite enjoyed listening to it at the time. But, I discovered today, my music tastes have changed and, though it is still enjoyable, this album no longer holds the charm and thriull for me that it once did. Hard-Fi are a bunch of surrey indie-rockers trying to recreate the sound of Ska for a new generation. Their second album did not sell nearly as well as this first offering and, so far, the group have not been seen again in the ...  Read the complete review

I downloaded this from MSN Music after seeing a TV advert for it - and realising I actually knew and liked all the songs they showed. You know what it's like - where you hear a song on the radio over and over but never actaully catch the name of the artist - which you regret when you want to buy it. Anyway, Stars of CCTV is a great debut album, which was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize - if they'd won that, the £20,00 prize would have covered the cost to produce many times over - this was a self-financed project that cost less than a half a grand to make, before being picked up by Atlantic records. It's done by a group called Hard-Fi, a band from ...  Read the complete review