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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 2 August 2007

It was a Hard day's night

REVIEW: HARD-FI
THE DUBLIN CASTLE

YOU knew it wasn’t your average night at the Dublin Castle by the size of the tourbus parked up outside.
On Thursday the Parkway pub – well-known as the venue most indie bands start out at, and always want to return to when they've done the stadium thing to death – played host to Hard-Fi.
It should have been thrilling from start to finish. And ok, so I wasn’t there for the first half of the set (have you ever heard of a secret gig beginning on time?) but the indie four-piece from Staines failed to catch fire in the sweaty Camden Town backroom that has a hallowed history of hush-hush gigs.
I couldn’t help reflecting on the previous two big names I saw there recently, Amy Winehouse and Babyshambles, and feeling slightly disappointed by the Living For The Weekend stars in comparison.
One thing that troubled me was the PA system they had brought to the venue. Nobody needs to do that at the Dublin.
As a result, their soundmen hadn’t mixed the volumes right and it was just too quiet – a major blow to the atmosphere.
Amiable banter from frontman Richard Archer, which included a mock encore, went some way to making up for what should have been a better night, but I couldn’t help feeling they looked a bit tired after a heady two-year festival residency.
When they released Stars Of CCTV in 2005 it was hailed as the album of the year by NME, and they were overexcitedly tagged the band of the people.
Two years on their songs still sound good but a touch stale.
Their second album, Once Upon A Time in the West, is released next month, but will the tourbus be as big in another two years?
Hopefully, but minus the sound system.

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