The Notorious Hi-fi Killers hail from south London and have slowly emerged as one of the generation’s most sophisticated guitar-based bands. They have perfected their art through a series of acclaimed releases starting in 2006 and via their incendiary live sets. Formed in 2005 by Jonathan Richards, Tony Mountford and Rhys Llewellyn, they began by furrowing both their own music and popular music history, giving it their own twist by bringing equal amounts of volume and texture to the forefront, whilst never neglecting the killer hook. Following a year of honing their craft onstage alongside some of the UK’s finest such as Part Chimp, Lords and Bilge Pump, The Notorious Hi-Fi Killers released their debut single themselves – a brutal eponymous titled 7” on their own Noisestar imprint. Taking it on the road, the single sold out and is currently out of print. The band continued to work on their debut album, recording in Camberwell with engineer Tim Cedar (Ligament, Sophia, Part Chimp). These recordings became the album ‘Which side are you on?’, which was immediately snapped up for release by London-based Rocket Recordings and saw the light of day in early 2008, winning international appreciation. Continuing on the road throughout 2008, taking stage alongside friends and peers The Heads, Parts and Labour, Shit & Shine, Monotonix, The USA Is A Monster and White Hills, the band decided to head back into the studio whilst the iron was white hot, to pull together a further two releases…First out of the traps being ‘New Spirituals’. Committed live to tape during a radio session, New Spirituals presented the first opportunity for fans of the group’s studio debut to grab these songs, new and improved, on the blessed format of vinyl LP. Harnessing a lighter, more psychedelic sound for current live sets and the upcoming LP, the band – now featuring Hungarian drumming powerhouse Tamas Kiss in place of a departed Llewellyn – are currently putting the finishing touches to what is sure to be one of 2009’s finest and most surprising long players. Having recently returned from a successful tour of Central Europe, with previews from the new album being aired by Tom Robinson on BBC6 and championed by Artrocker, the band continue to play shows throughout the UK, opening up their audience by playing alongside the likes of Spectrum, The Yellow Moon Band and Alexander Tucker in recent months. Where 2009 takes them, only their vision can restrict.

Photo: Dom Garwood