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André Paine's rating
Reader rating
Description: The indie-rock band promote their number one album, Once Upon A Time In The West.
Phone: 0870060 0870
Website: www.whatsonwembley.com
Trains: Tube: Wembley Park 
Extra info: Parking, Food, Air Conditioning, Pub
Uneven: Hard-Fi's Richard Archer seemed desperate at first but gradually proved himself
Despite their eagerness to achieve the arena rock level of success, Hard-Fi initially seemed unsuited to the Wembley stage for their biggest gig yet in London.
Frontman Richard Archer has made some bold claims for his band but recently had to admit that it's annoying to have been outsold by Arctic Monkeys and Kaiser Chiefs this year.
Perhaps there was also a sense of disappointment that Hard-Fi's comeback album, Once Upon a Time in the West, is missing from most of the end-of-year polls. But the devotional audience suggested that fans rather than critics matter most to the four-piece from Staines.
They failed to live up to expectations for the first half, though, starting with a desultory version of Middle Eastern Holiday. Archer's bellowing vocal was unwelcome and the band seemed to think it was enough to transplant their existing live show to an arena.
That meant the concert relied on blokeish charm rather than major production values. And when they did employ a big screen montage of shopping channels during Television, it just proved a distraction.
Archer's endless gratitude and regular appeals for audience reaction seemed desperate at first but gradually he proved himself. Their electropop diversion, We Need Love, raised the performance while Tonight underlined Archer's song-writing ability.
But it was the ska-infused Cash Machine from their debut that got thousands of fans jumping around, although the overdraft anthem has slightly less impact when you realise Archer now drives a Porsche.
Ultimately, this was an uneven and sometimes frustrating show. But at least the euphoric Living for the Weekend ensured Hard-Fi's big night ended on a genuine high.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
What a mess! Did the Rumblestrips pull the leads on the way out? The sound was abysmal. The blokes jumped round for Stars and the girls squealed. The first is a classic, the second could have been written by Stock Aitken Waterman. Where were Weller, Jones and Bragg this time round?
- Barneyw, London
