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

ANOTHER Camden night, another secret gig. This time it was the turn of Hard-Fi, who were famously robbed on their last visit when someone broke into their dressing room at the Electric Ballroom and made off with their equipment.
Thursday’s gig followed on from a surprise appearance by Welsh rockers Stereophonics just days earlier at Proud.
A strangely muted affair; singer Richard Archer looks as if he could do with a rest.
Although he did the handclapping thing, and played at looking overwhelmed by the whole event, a chat outside with him demonstrated the faking it skills of a frontman.
Speaking to him after the gig, he was oddly disparaging about the Camden scene.
Far from relishing the bonhomie and friendly competition that this square mile of musical madness offers, he was filled with despondancy. “It’s easy to get lost here,” he moaned about Camden. “But there’s nowhere else.”
According to Richard, who’s sold hundreds of thousands of records, the problem is that there’s too much competition and a gem will be lost in the pit of mediocrity.“There are these pubs here, The Monarch and The [Dublin] Castle, and they have bands on 365 days a year,” he said.
However it wasn’t all gloom. Reflecting on an appearance at the Dublin more than a year ago, he said the crowd had expanded out a bit. “Two and half years ago we played the Dublin, we lived in Staines and we brought all our mates down,” he said. “There were a lot of new people here today.”
Hard-Fi was one of last year’s most successful bands, not eclipsing the Kaiser Chiefs and the Arctic Monkeys, but still managing to sell their brand of ‘lads-night-out’ indie anthems to the masses.
They have been a festivals highlight for many – including me – and here’s hoping their second album doesn't see them going soft.

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