Hard-Fi put their DIY skills to the test

Hard-Fi have built their own studio for the follow up to 2005's massive-selling debut album 'Stars of CCTV'.

Having searched fruitlessly for a space, the Staines four-piece have retreated to their hometown for the record, which frontman Richard Archer describes as "darker" and "more expansive".

Although they are back at the scene of the old mini-cab office where they recorded their debut, this time around the band have moved next door into an empty unit to put their DIY skills to the test.

"We didn't want to go in a posh studio because we made the first one ourselves in this little room we converted into a studio, so we wanted to do that again in somewhere a bit bigger," explains Archer. "It's still in the same industrial building next door to a company that makes automatic gates! It's still pretty rough and ready."

For more on Hard-Fi's second album pick up a copy of this week's NME, on sale now at all good newsagents.