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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
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London,
André Paine's rating
Reader rating
Staines massive: Hard-Fi's Virgin Megastore show came to a rowdy end after the crowd chose the final song
Loyal fanbase: Some of the 300 who saw the band's free gig
Message: The cover of Hard-Fi's new album has caused a stir
Tickets for Hard-Fi's Hippodrome concert on Thursday sold out in eight minutes. But around 300 fans got to see the band free in the early hours today as they launched their second album, Once Upon A Time In The West, with an in-store gig and a 1am signing session.
Even before today's release, the follow-up to the million-selling Stars Of CCTV has provoked a reaction with its sleeve: a garish yellow design featuring the words " no cover art" in huge letters.
As he saw the CD on the shelves for the first time, frontman Richard Archer was standing by his band's argument about the redundancy of the record sleeve in the iPod age.
"It stands out and says we're not playing the same game as everyone else," he said.
"The furore it's caused has been quite astonishing. Sometimes people don't like being told the truth."
There's undoubtedly a chippiness to Hard-Fi, but on stage their status as suburban underdogs from Staines became an anthemic celebration.
The current single Suburban Knights had even more of an electro-rock swagger when played live, and Archer's wide-eyed, slightly frantic performance underlined the humour in his lyric about an inferior one-way system.
Can't Get Along (Without You) was a pounding Britrock take on Motown that managed to get people jumping around in a record shop basement after midnight.
But it was another new song, the shimmering We Need Love, that proved their terrace-style singalongs can still offer surprises.
Hard-Fi aren't quite fashionable, but they have established the sort of loyal fanbase that gets people hanging around Oxford Street in the early hours.
"We appreciate it," said Archer. "School day tomorrow and all that."
He may be a gangly, clean-cut sort who still sleeps in the bedroom of the house where he grew up in Staines. However, Archer is clearly a big part of the band's appeal, and he performed Cash Machine as passionately as if it were the first time.
The easy-going humour was endearing, too. "He's gone all Eric Clapton, he's got two guitars," said Archer, mocking bandmate Ross Phillips.
They let the audience choose the last song - Living For The Weekend - ensuring a rowdy finale. "It was brilliant, they managed to get the crowd going at midnight," said Celine Gomez, a 27-year-old charity worker from Clapham.
The band then patiently signed albums for hundreds of fans, who were doubtless still singing the songs on the night bus home.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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This was the first time I saw Hard-Fi live and I was not disappointed. I queued for about an hour and a half on Saturday for a wristband and about the same on the Sunday for a good spot and it was worth every minute. They kicked off with new single Suburban Knights (already an anthem in my eyes) and performed other new tracks: Can't Get Along, We Need Love and one of my personal favourites, Television as well as old classics from Stars of CCTV, Cash Machine, Tied Up Too Tight and Living For The Weekend (disappointed it was chosen over Hard To Beat, my favourite from Cacti). From the start, I was singing along (shouting) with the rest like some mad lout. Following the performance the band signed copies of their album and posed for photos for nearly 300 fans, (minus the ones who came only for the free show) and had time for every one.
They are down to earth and not in the least bit pretentious. They make songs not only I can relate to but the working class in towns everywhere. There is a lot said about Hard-Fi not being able to perform well live, but I think they were excellent. Richard Archer is a great songwriter and captures the spirit of west London in his songs perfectly, plus his a Brentford supporter, which puts him up a notch in my book! All round Hard-Fi are a great band and make me proud to be a west Londoner. So as Richard Archer signed my sleeve, up the Bees and long live Hard-Fi!
- Alan Watts, Hounslow, England
