Hard-Fi
Brixton Academy, London (14.05.06)

Five sold-out nights at the Carling Academy in Brixton, I knew which one I wanted to be at. The first night was always going to be huge, massive in fact and it had been hyped to the max, the Hard-Fi boys had a big job to do. With Steve Kemp on drums, Ross Philips on guitar, Kai Stephens on bass and Richard Archer fronting them, the audience were left in suspend whilst a yellow screen featuring 'CCTV' filled the entire stage. We started chanting a concoction of songs, but didn't get too into that, enter Hard-Fi.

The band opened the gig with the second track on the album, 'Middle Eastern Holiday' in a very energetic manor. Front man Richard Archer had a presence about him which was very endearing, he owned the stage.

Throughout the gig, we heard ultimate Hard-Fi through the tracks 'Hard to Beat, 'Cash Machine' and 'Stars of CCTV'. My favourite however had to be the most recently released single, 'Better Do Better'. Richard Archer really did well on this song, despite the earlier voice problems that resulted in the USA missing out on the tour this time round. His heart and soul went into this song and he really did it justice.

Overall, the gig was amazing. The only thing that could have made it any better would have been Archers voice being 100% from the start. Still, it was an amazing night. If you get the chance to go and see these lads, then make sure you do.


+ Review by Laura

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