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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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Nova Twins, Brògeal and Eve Goodman have been confirmed as ambassadors for Independent Venue Week 2026.
The week long celebration of grassroots live music across the UK has been running since 2013 and will take place this year between January 26 and February 1. A total of 236 venues are involved, each hosting special shows during a period that is typically quieter for independent spaces.
Nova Twins will serve as the 2026 Artist Ambassadors and are set to return to their South London roots with a special one off performance at the 300 capacity Amersham Arms on January 27. Tickets for the show are available now.
Made up of Amy Love and Georgia South, the duo were recently named champions of National Album Day and ambassadors for Music Minds Matter. They also released their third studio album ‘Parasites & Butterflies’ last year.
The band said: “We’re SO excited to be playing Amersham Arms on Jan 27th for Independent Venue Week. This venue means so much to us. We spent a huge part of our teenage years playing on that stage and have so many memories tied to it.
“From our earliest bands through to becoming Nova Twins, it has always been a vital space for us. It helped shape who we are and build our community. We’re really looking forward to playing an intimate show and celebrating independent venues. We have to keep protecting them.”
Falkirk folk punk outfit Brògeal have been announced as the Scottish ambassadors for 2026. They will play shows at MacArts in Galashiels on January 30 and The Venue in Dumfries on January 31, with The Rooks providing support at both dates.
Singer songwriter Eve Goodman has been named as the Welsh ambassador and will perform at Caffi Isa in Mold on January 26, Tŷ Tawe in Swansea on January 30 and Cwtch Coffee in Pembroke on February 1.
Sybil Bell, founder and CEO of Independent Venue Week, said: “I’m incredibly proud that IVW continues to work with such inspiring artist ambassadors. These shows perfectly capture what the celebration is about, whether it’s Nova Twins returning to a venue that played a huge role in their journey, or Brògeal and Eve heading beyond the major cities to perform in music loving towns like Galashiels, Dumfries and Mold. That spirit is central to what we’re trying to do, and we’re so excited to see the 13th edition of IVW begin on January 26th.”
You can find the full list of participating venues and shows here.
Since the event began, more than one million tickets have been sold for Independent Venue Week shows, helping to shine a light on the challenges facing the live music sector. Last year, Gwenno and rEDOLENT acted as ambassadors for the campaign.
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