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Brentford has introduced a special edition shirt created with Hard-Fi to celebrate twenty years since the release of ‘Stars of CCTV’.
The band honoured the twentieth anniversary of the album, which topped the charts in 2005 and earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination, with a deluxe reissue earlier this year. Now, they have partnered with their longtime club, the Bees, on a shirt inspired by the artwork from the record.
Designed by official kit partner Joma, the shirt showcases the Brentford crest along with the striking yellow CCTV style camera graphic featured on the album cover. The design is a nod to Brentford and Hard-Fi’s shared west London heritage. Fans can buy the shirt at the Hive Superstore, and it will be available to purchase online here from 9am on Monday (December 1).
As a dedicated supporter and season ticket holder, frontman Richard Archer has followed the club’s rise to the Premier League and even performed at Brentford’s Farewell Griffin Park event before the team moved to the Gtech Community Stadium.
When speaking about the collaboration, Brentford’s marketing services director Steve Watts said the shirt brings together “two important parts of west London’s identity – football and music.”
“Hard-Fi and Brentford are entwined in each other’s history and have been authentic supporters of each other for the last two decades,” he added. “So it feels fitting to bring the two together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the iconic Stars of CCTV album with this limited edition shirt.”
Archer described the shirt’s release as “right up there” with the most meaningful opportunities the band has ever had. “We are so grateful to Brentford for making this happen,” he said. “It is such a buzz seeing the finished shirt and watching the players wearing it. We feel incredibly proud to work with a club that means so much to us.”
“This is a perfect way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Stars and to look ahead to our new fourth album.”
News of their upcoming music arrived earlier this month when the band revealed that they have completed their first album in fourteen years.
Speaking to NME in 2023, Archer reflected on their debut and said: “‘Stars of CCTV’ seems more relevant now than it did back in 2005, almost. A lot of the subjects are more prescient now perhaps, so, it is just trying to figure out what is it we want to say, and sonically what do we want to be doing? We are trying lots of different things out to see what resonates.”
“When we wrote ‘Stars Of CCTV’, even though the subjects were talking about what was happening, it was not really as on purpose. It was just talking about our lives and when we were growing up, writing about what we knew and trying to make a point about it in some ways. We want to do what feels good and not worry too much, like we did on album one.”
“We just want to enjoy the process and not be pressured into making the new ‘Hard To Beat’.”
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Dolly Parton has contributed a major financial gift described as “transformational” to a children’s hospital.
Earlier this year, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital was officially renamed the Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital after the country music icon made a significant donation to the institution.
The hospital’s president and CEO Matt Schaefer has now spoken publicly about the impact of her contribution. Speaking with Chief Healthcare Executive, he explained: “What I can tell you is that she has made a generational and transformational commitment to Children’s and its mission.”
“That commitment is something that goes beyond our wildest expectations, that is beyond generous, and will be a lifeline for this mission for now and for years to come,” he continued. “And we’re excited about and humbled by her willingness to do so.”
Although Schaefer did not reveal the exact figure of Parton’s gift, he explained that her support places both the hospital and the surrounding community in a very strong and promising position.
The donation is expected to support several key areas, helping both young patients receiving care and the medical professionals responsible for their treatment.
In related news, Parton stepped back into the public spotlight last month for the first time in 2026 and gave fans an update on her wellbeing. This followed speculation about her health that began after comments from her sister last October.
After those concerns surfaced, Parton addressed the situation herself, explaining that she had experienced several “health challenges” that ultimately led her to cancel her planned Las Vegas residency.
“I just kind of got worn down and worn out, grieving over Carl and a lot of other little things going on,” she shared, referring to the passing of her husband Carl Dean, whom she was married to for 58 years before he died last March.
“I just got myself kind of where I needed to build myself back up spiritually, emotionally, and physically. But, all is good. It didn’t slow me down.”
Following Dean’s death, the country legend previously shared that she had paused work on new music while processing her loss, although she has since returned to creative work.
She added: “I’ve just been doing a lot of writing, a lot of thinking, a lot of praying and a lot of getting ready for a lot of new stuff coming up for the rest of this whole year. So, be ready for me. I ain’t done, I ain’t near done.”
In the period after his passing, Parton also said she was “doing better than I thought I would” and later released the emotional song “If You Hadn’t Been There” as a tribute to him. She explained that the track reflects how important he was in her life and how he helped shape who she became.
She also celebrated her 80th birthday by releasing a refreshed version of her 1977 song “Light Of A Clear Blue Morning” in January. The new recording featured Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus as part of a celebration marking 50 years of the song.
U2 singer Bono also arranged a special surprise by sending a bagpiper to perform for her birthday. More recently, Parton also appeared in a pre recorded video tribute celebrating Ozzy Osbourne receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award at last month’s BRIT Awards.
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