Hard-fi
Hard-fi | |
---|---|
Hard-Fi at the Hurricane Festival on the Greenstage |
|
General information | |
Genre (s) | Alternative rock , indie rock , britpop |
founding | 2002 |
Website | www.hard-fi.com |
Current occupation | |
Richard Archer | |
Kai Stephens | |
Steve Kemp | |
former members | |
Ross Phillips (2002-2013) |
Hard-Fi is a band from Staines ( England ) and falls into the genre Alternative Rock , and Independent .
Band history
The debut album Stars of CCTV was initially recorded as a six-song mini album in a repurposed taxi office in their own studio, Cherry Lips, in Staines . It was then mixed in a variety of unusual acoustic environments such as bedrooms, bars and the BMW of its producer, Wolsey White .
The band was then signed by Atlantic Records . The label gave them the chance to re-record their album, after which the band returned to their studio to preserve their unique sound.
Hard-Fi supported Green Day both in the US - tour , as well as their two big concerts in Milton Keynes Bowl , England. However, they had to find a new bass player for the tour because Stephens was arrested for using cocaine at the Feltham Megabowl and is therefore on file with the police. Because of this, he did not get a visa to enter the USA. Richard Archer then wore T-shirts with the inscription "Kai Stephens is innocent" (Kai Stephens is innocent), which in the end was of no use.
Her debut album release celebration was scheduled for July 7, 2005 at Cheekie's nightclub in Staines, where her video for Hard To Beat was filmed. The event was canceled due to Archer's mother's poor health. After his mother died shortly afterwards, Hard-Fi decided not to play at the Glastonbury Festival. On July 13, 2005, the celebration in Ladbroke Grove , London, was rescheduled.
Hard-Fi became more popular in the UK after Stars of CCTV was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize . Above all, the album describes the desolation of the London suburbs and provides information about the, in the band's opinion, completely useless constant surveillance of all English cities by the CCTV camera system . This also earned them more attention in Germany . The group was nominated for the BRIT Award in 2006.
The band toured Germany from late February to early March 2006 and performed in Stuttgart , Dresden , Munich and Frankfurt am Main , as well as at the Southside and Hurricane Festival in June .
On May 8, 2006, their first live DVD, In Operation , was released, which was recorded in the London Astoria and is the band's first live DVD. It includes 13 songs from her album Stars of CCTV and the live version of her cover of Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes . There are also some remixes from the Stars of CCTV album. The second album Once Upon a Time in the West was released on August 31, 2007 in Germany.
The songs Hard to Beat and Cash Machine were played in the film Together it's less alone . The song Suburban Knights was used in a 2008 commercial for the German Internet and telephone provider Freenet.
In early May 2013, the band announced on their Facebook page and later to the press that Ross Phillips had left the band because he wanted to pursue other interests.
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
2005 | Stars of CCTV |
DE20 (4 weeks) DE |
AT47 (4 weeks) AT |
- |
UK1 × 2
(63 weeks)UK |
- |
First published: July 4th, 2005
|
2007 | Once Upon a Time in the West |
DE39 (2 weeks) DE |
AT51 (2 weeks) AT |
CH49 (2 weeks) CH |
UK1
gold
(14 weeks)UK |
- |
First published: August 30, 2007
|
2011 | Killer sounds | - | - |
CH77 (1 week) CH |
UK9 (5 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 19, 2011
|
Remix albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
2006 | In operation | - | - | - |
UK62 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: May 8, 2006
|
more publishments
- 2005: Sessions @ AOL
- 2006: Hard-Fi Live from the Bowery Ballroom NYC
- 2007: Once Upon a Time in December
- 2014: Hard-Fi: Best of 2004–2014
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
2005 | Cash Machine Stars of CCTV |
DE75 (4 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK14 (15 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: January 24, 2005
|
Tied Up too Tight Stars of CCTV |
- | - | - |
UK15 (5 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: March 14, 2005
|
|
Hard to Beat Stars of CCTV |
DE80 (5 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK9
silver
(27 weeks)UK |
- |
First published: June 20, 2005
|
|
Living for the Weekend Stars of CCTV |
- | - | - |
UK15th
silver
(12 weeks)UK |
- |
First published: September 5, 2005
|
|
2006 | Better Do Better Stars of CCTV |
- | - | - |
UK14 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: February 27, 2006
|
2007 | Suburban Knights Once Upon a Time in the West |
DE79 (3 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK7 (9 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 6, 2007
|
Can't Get Along (Without You) Once Upon a Time in the West |
- | - | - |
UK45 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: November 4, 2007
|
|
2008 | I Shall Overcome Once Upon a Time in the West |
- | - | - |
UK35 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: February 29, 2008
|
2011 | Good for Nothing Killer Sounds |
- | - | - |
UK51 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: June 17, 2011
|
Web links
- Page no longer available , search in web archives: Official International Website ) (
- Hard-Fi at laut.de
- Hard-Fi at MusicBrainz (English)
- Hard-Fi at Discogs (English)