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Here’s what Hard-Fi played at their first gig in eight years last night

Hard-Fi played an intimate warm-up show last night (September 29) ahead of their big reunion gigs in Manchester and London.

The Staines band announced earlier this year that they would reform for a ‘Stars Of CCTV’ anniversary gig in London, which sold out in 10 minutes.

Last night’s gig at Milton Keynes’ 150-capacity Craufurd Arms marked their first since 2014, acting as a warm-up before the main gigs.

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The band opened with ‘Stars of CCTV”s second track ‘Middle Eastern Holiday’, also playing ‘Gotta Reason’, ‘Tied Up Too Tight’ and ‘Cash Machine’ from the album. Elsewhere, they included a cover of The White Stripes‘ ‘Seven Nation Army’ and closed the encore with ‘Living For The Weekend’.

See the full setlist (via SetlistFM) below plus videos from the gig and fan reactions.

‘Middle Eastern Holiday’
‘Gotta Reason’
‘Can’t Get Along (Without You)’
‘You and Me’
‘I Shall Overcome’
‘Seven Nation Army’ (The White Stripes cover)
‘Tied Up Too Tight’
‘Good for Nothing’
‘Like a Drug’
‘Better Do Better’
‘Bring It On’
‘Fire in the House’
‘Cash Machine’
‘Looking For Fun’
‘Suburban Knights’
‘Hard to Beat’
‘Move on Now’
‘Stars of CCTV’
‘Living For The Weekend’

Hard-Fi doing their thing for the first time in 8 years!

Posted by The Craufurd Arms (Live Music Venue) on Thursday, September 29, 2022

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Tonight (September 30), Hard-Fi are due to return to the stage in Manchester at the Neighbourhood Festival launch party before they head to London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town to celebrate the 17th anniversary of their debut album on October 1.

Speaking to NME after the London gig sold out, frontman Richard Archer said the group would like to do more shows. “What that might be, right now I’ve no idea,” he said. “We need to sit down with our promoter and work it all out.”

Asked why now is the right time for the band to get back together, Archer said, prior to their hiatus, things had become “a struggle”. He explained: “It had got so hard, we thought we should have a break, and that break became eight years.

“Also, a lot of the things we were talking about in our songs are happening more than ever now. I get frustrated and angry, and surely the current shit-show can’t go on much longer. If someone wants to start a riot and they need some bodies, I’ll be there; so long as there’s a school pick-up time so I can collect my kids.”