Friday 6th October 2023
Hard-Fi burned brightly in the mid-2000s before going on an extended hiatus in 2014. After a near 10-year absence Richard Archer (lead vocals and guitar), Ross Phillips (guitar), Kai Stephens (bass) and Steve Kemp (drums) are back. The excitement inside the Leadmill is palpable as the Staines band takes to the stage and the pace never lets up across 90 rip-roaring minutes.
‘Middle Eastern Holiday’ kicks things off but it’s not until ‘Gotta Reason’ and ‘Tied Up Too Tight’ that the show bursts into life. From there it’s hit after hit and a timely reminder of just how many big songs Hard-Fi has. A rare live outing of ‘Watch Me Fall Apart’ is a treat before personal favourite ‘Better Do Better’ has everyone screaming the chorus back at the stage. Crowd and artist in symbiosis. You love to see it. Archer clearly loves these songs just as much as the crowd does and his passionate onstage persona suits his heartfelt lyrics. These are songs that mean something – whether it’s the mantra of ‘I Shall Overcome’, the massive chorus of ‘Television’ or lamenting the feeling of being skint in ‘Cash Machine’ – a song that has never felt more sadly prescient than it does in our current cost of living crisis.
The first part of the show concludes with a riotous ‘Suburban Knights’ complete with crowd-assisted backing vocals and a triumphant rendition of ‘Hard to Beat’ – a song that takes on a new power when played live – a real anthem.
The band return for the inevitable encore with Archer and co. clearly up for it. I always forget just how great a song ‘Stars of CCTV’ is and it sounds gargantuan here with the crowd singing along to every word before ‘Living for the Weekend’ sees the whole venue go batshit. The perfect Friday night song. When Archer thanks the crowd at the end of the gig it’s touching to see just how much it means to him to be back playing live again.
In 2006, I saw Hard-Fi headline Millenium Square in Leeds City Centre – a huge outdoor gig – and if they stay on this form they could be back playing huge venues in the near future. For now, though, it’s a privilege to see them in an intimate iconic venue like the Leadmill and as the punters pour out into the balmy Sheffield night it’s clear that we have witnessed a triumphant comeback. Don’t leave it nearly ten years next time though aye lads?