Hard-FI

England's Hard-Fi emerged at the end of 2003, an emblem of the new DIY route to success. Having built a makeshift studio in an empty mini-cab office, the band scraped together enough money to record the six-track mini-album STARS OF CCTV. Released in October 2004, a limited edition run of 500 took only a few weeks to sell out. The quartet's thrilling, contemporary take on the late-1970s fusion of punk, dub and disco popularised by the Clash and the Specials, swiftly led to a contract with Atlantic Records. A full-length version of STARS OF CCTV--made up of remixed tracks and new material--was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and in January 2006 belatedly topped the UK charts. The follow-up album, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, was one of the most eagerly awaited of 2007.

• pop
• 2000s