At the start of the year, Hard-Fi were just another hopeful indie band from Staines. At the end of the year, they're one of the biggest bands in the country. Cash Machine is being re-released on Dec 26 - here's what we had to say about it first time round...

If you've never liked or are getting tired of Mike Skinner's social commentary, then Staines four piece Hard Fi are offering a credible rock alternative with Cash Machine, the first single to be lifted from their mini album Stars Of CCTV.

Front man Richard Archer moans relentlessly about the day to day perils of urban living such as being skint ("I scratch a living it ain't easy you know it's a drag") and getting your girlfriend pregnant ("What am I going to do/my girlfriend's test turned blue"). This is all thrown together in a scintillating rock 'n' roll number, that is as dark as The Specials and as aggressive as The Clash. Its chorus is ridiculously infectious, and you'll have to restrain yourself from singing along.

The band have been touted as ones to watch in 2005 along with the likes of Bloc Party, The Departure, Kaiser Chiefs and The Subways, and have gained recent notoriety for filming the video to this single underneath incoming planes on the main runway at Heathrow airport - a kind of guerrilla gig that puts The Others to shame. Expect to hear a lot from this band in the next twelve months.

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