Hard-Fi

Hard-Fi
Originally uploaded by Ian Wilson.

Was upgrading Winamp today and spotted Hard-Fi getting some exposure on the site. Hard-Fi are a massive band in the UK and are currently trying to crack the US market, which they admit is like starting all over again from the beginning.

Nat and I watched them play the NME Awards tour at the Hammersmith Palais on Monday and they were awesome live - literally one of the best gigs I've ever been to! They put a huge amount of effort into the performance and you really felt that they were delivering something special. Too many times I've watched bands run through their standard set list without offering anything extra to a crowd who have paid to see them in person. Greenday and REM are two bands that have impressed me in this respect. Both have back catalogues they've run through thousands of times before and yet both played gigs that felt fresh and unique and worth paying money to see (Greenday at Leeds Festival 2004 and REM in Hyde Park 2005).

A couple of days ago someone asked me what I was listening to at the moment. So in no particluar order, these are the albums currently monopolising my CD player:

The Kooks - Inside In, Inside Out
The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not
Fisherspooner - Odyssey
Editors - The Back Room
The Ordinary Boys - Brassbound
The Ordinary Boys - Over the Counter Culture
The Rakes - Capture/Release

Also loving the single 'Sugar, We're Going Down Swinging' by Fallout Boy but not yet that keen on the rest of the album. Maybe after a few more listens.