I’m not sure who told Staines band Hard Fi that it was ok to blatantly rip-off the Clash and almost every ska band on the Two Tone label but that’s exactly what they’ve done with their new single 'Tied Up Too Tight', and when I say ripped-off, I mean destroyed.

Unlike the Darkness who stole ideas from a genre so clichéd they don’t care about it anymore and have thus embraced their own failings, Hard Fi have taken bits from some of the most genuine band of years gone by, something which maybe wouldn’t have been so bad had they not obviously been listening to Maroon 5 incessantly and gone for the most radio friendly MOR crap imaginable, they make Dido sound cutting edge.

You’d do better buying off some screwdrivers and using them as earplugs so as to save your self from their turgid wank. If your looking for a good band to relive the old days of ska, check out the Dead 60s single 'Riot Radio' or just don’t bother, its all been done before by better bands, be warned though, Hard Fi are the new Killers, and its going to get VERY annoying, very quickly.

Ali Savafi