Hard-Fi today drop another fantastic new track ‘Don’t Need You’ – listen here – the final instalment before the release of their forthcoming Don’t Go Making Plans EP this Friday, November 15th on Ignition Records – the day before the band embark upon their 10-date UK headline tour in November, culminating in what will be a very special sold-out homecoming show at London’s Roundhouse on November 30th.
There will also be a special tour warm-up show in the band’s hometown of Staines at Thames Side Brewery this Thursday, November 14th, as well as an intimate EP release show at London Dingwalls this Friday, November 15th. Tickets for the Staines tour warm-up are on sale here, with all profits raised going to local charity, Midas Plus.
Featuring 4 brand new tracks plus remixes from The Reflex and Wrongtom, the Don’t Go Making Plans EP will be available digitally and on limited edition, numbered, transparent red 12” this Friday – pre-order here.
Full of punch and serving an insatiable riff from the get-go, new track ‘Don’t Need You’ is Hard-Fi on firing form, full of melody and seeing frontman Richard Archer spit venomous lyrics before launching into a huge, infectious chorus. Produced by Archer and long-term contributor Wolsey White, it’s another superb result of the first session together since 2011 album Killer Sounds – listen to ‘Don’t Need You’ here.
The band made their extremely welcome return in May with the release of their first track in over a decade, the new EP’s title-track, ‘Don’t Go Making Plans’. As with many of the band’s songs, there was a thought-provoking depth behind Hard-Fi’s pop sensibility. The song’s defiant themes were initially inspired by the UK Government’s attempts to criminalise many aspects of popular protest through the 2022 Public Order Act, while the issue has been thrown into even sharper focus over the last year as police and people have repeatedly clashed on streets around the globe. Watch the striking lyric video here.
This was followed by current single ‘Always and Forever’, delivering a sharp slice of urgency, documenting the feeling that you don’t belong and are running out of time, which was premiered exclusively by Jo Whiley on BBC Radio 2. Listen here and watch the lyric video here.
With over a million UK album sales, two No.1 albums (three Top 10s), and five Top 20 singles, Hard-Fi have been a phenomenon. Having made their debut with the Mercury Prize-shortlisted Stars Of CCTV in 2005, the four-piece proved progressive yet accessible, with tales of high street life, club-driven weekends and keeping your head above water on the breadline. The album yielded singles that included ‘Hard To Beat’, ‘Living For The Weekend’ and ‘Cash Machine,’ reached No.1, and has since been certified double platinum in the UK alone.
Second album Once Upon A Time In The West also topped the charts, and included lead single ‘Suburban Knights’, whilst third album Killer Sounds, was a Top 10 hit. The band also played one of the longest residencies at O2 Academy Brixton, a fully sold-out feat they share with the likes of Bob Dylan, and The Clash, after performing at the landmark London venue for five nights straight in 2006.
Hard-Fi are back. Catchier, louder and more defiant than ever.
UK TOUR DATES
November 2024
Sat 14th Staines, Thames Side Brewery
Fri 15th London, Dingwalls (EP Release Show) (SOLD OUT)
Sat 16th Hastings, White Rock
Tue 19th Portsmouth, Guildhall
Thu 21st Cardiff, Tramshed
Fri 22nd Wolverhampton, Wulfrun
Sat 23rd Nottingham, Rock City
Mon 25th Glasgow, Garage
Tue 26th Sheffield, The Leadmill
Wed 27th Manchester, Ritz
Fri 29th Leeds, Stylus
Sat 30th London, Roundhouse (SOLD OUT)
Don’t Go Making Plans EP Tracklisting
- Don’t Go Making Plans
- I Know What You Want
- Don’t Need You
- Always and Forever
- Don’t Go Making Plans (The Reflex Revision)
- Don’t Go Making Plans (Wrongtom Remix)
