Last week, Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer appeared on Radio X's Dan O'Connell Evening Show.
In a lengthy conversation with Dan O'Connell, Hard-Fi frontman Richard Archer admitted that the band's decade-long wait to release new music was down to them “dragging their hands” and other commitments taking priority. But talking about the band's exciting new EP, looking back on nearly two decades of Stars of CCTV and discussing the influence of Oasis' Definitive Maybe, Richard also spoke about the musical and political inspiration behind the band's new single, Don't Go Making Plans. Richard also hinted that the band will be releasing more new music next year…
Hard-Fi's Richard Archer has said the decade-long wait for new music is because the band are “struggling to get their fingers out”, and spoke about their new single, inspired by “Blockheads and Wham!”
DOC: “Firstly, can you tell us why it took so long? Because the last time you put out new music was in 2011.”
RA: “I think basically we've always struggled to get along, and it all came together during lockdown. We did some little acoustic sessions and we did Stars of CCTV, we thought maybe a few friends would watch it, and the response was really good. So we were like, OK, we're all ready and hungry again.”
DOC: “It's been over 20 years since you formed the band. Has things changed? Is it as easy as before or has it gotten harder? What do you think?”
RA: “So, in terms of songwriting and writing, it's something that we've always done. Finishing it is another thing. It's always a process of putting ideas together. But the landscape has completely changed now. Everything is different now than it was when we were, and I think it's really hard when you're a new band. We were lucky. The first time they played our songs was literally a radio station where our manager walked in with a CD, so we were lucky that that happened, and hopefully it will continue to happen.
DOC: “Richard, what is this song about? What was the inspiration?”
RA: “It started with a groove. It had a summery feel. I was imagining what would happen if The Blockheads, Wham! and Kid Clore all went out drinking together. It's a great sounding song. But I felt like it needed some heavy lyrics to counter that. It all came together in like five minutes. Right now it feels like the people in charge aren't doing their jobs. They're not running things properly. I don't know what they're doing. They're just breathing fire. If you want to do something, they're policing protests and criminalizing you. It was just like, don't disrupt things, don't rock the boat, don't even think about it.”
DOC: “Is that going to be the theme of the whole EP?”
RA: “Not necessarily. I mean, we've always been talking about things that we see around us, but there's other aspects to it. It just clicked and it came together quickly. Sometimes a hi-hat takes three days. And sometimes, looking back, you just have to use the first thing that comes to mind, because it's the raw, undiluted essence. So it was like, no, let's go with that. This is what clicks. Hi-hats are great though!”
Hard-Fi's Richard Archer has said the band will “definitely do something” to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stars Of CCTV next year.
DOC: “Next year marks the 20th anniversary of Stars. Do you have any special plans? Anything in the works?”
RA: “Yeah, definitely, in a way. We had a little bit of a 'back of the cigarette pack' kind of plan of what we wanted to do. And we had that anniversary planned. Because it was a big moment for us and we have a lot of people who have contacted us saying that the album was an important moment in their lives. I posted the other day about the five shows we did at Brixton Academy in 2006, which were all sold out. Paul Weller, Mick Jones, Billy Bragg came with us. And people wrote back saying, 'Oh, I talked about you in my wedding speech. I talked about the gig. I met my wife there.' So we're definitely going to do something. We have some planned.”
Hard-Fi's Richard Archer claims he “literally cut his hair” while discussing the influence of Oasis masterpiece 'Definitely Maybe'.
DOC: “I'll tell you what other things are having birthdays. We'll have to talk about that too. Definitely, probably. Have you heard that album back in the day? Are you from that generation?”
RA: Yeah, I literally cut my hair. I cut my hair and bought all the singles. I was really into rock music. The Doors, [Rolling] “The Stones, and obviously Manchester. It was cool, everything. And then Nirvana came along, and all of a sudden it was like a real punk record for me. That was the clincher. They were from England, and they were amazing. I was hooked. Yeah, totally hooked.”
Hard-Fi frontman and Brentford fan Richard Archer says Thomas Frank would “make a mistake” if he becomes Manchester United manager.
DOC: “I just wanted to mention this because I know you're a big Brentford fan. Apparently you're interested in the Manchester United scenario – would manager Thomas Frank go to Manchester?”
RA: “Well, I think if he does, it would be a mistake. You know, that's the type of person he is, he's not going to be given the minutes there that he had at Brentford. If it doesn't go well in five minutes, they'll start fighting back. So he knows he's in a good position at Brentford. But you know, this is Manchester United. They're one of the biggest teams in the world. They'd probably offer him a lot more money. At Brentford, they already have a replacement lined up, so if he goes, he goes. I hope he stays.”