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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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Willie Nelson has criticised the development of data centres and encouraged communities to unite and “fight” the construction of the large server facilities.
The country music legend has supported environmental causes for decades and helped establish Farm Aid. For more than 40 years, the organisation has assisted local farmers while challenging the expansion of industrial farming operations that threaten family operated land.
On Tuesday, July 28, Nelson posted an open letter on social media condemning environmentally harmful data centres throughout the United States. He also drew attention to the serious effects these facilities can have on nature and nearby businesses.
“I grew up in Abbott, and I still have a home there with farmed land where I can still see stars at night,” his post began. “And now our community, like many others, needs to fight against data centres invading our land.”
Nelson described the facilities as “loud”, “water-thieving” and “light polluting”. He added that “the last thing we need” is to have them located “anywhere near our town (or any others for that matter)”.
“The strength of rural America has never come from big industrial footprints. It comes from generations of people, open spaces, local businesses, and a connection to the land,” he wrote, adding that the nation deserves “thoughtful stewardship that doesn’t steal farmland” and small family farms, “not data centers that only destroy the environment around them.”
Bringing his message to a close, Nelson wrote: “Whoever controls food and water, controls the masses. Let’s not allow our own demise or give up control over necessary resources in the US, and especially in Abbott”.
Concerns surrounding data centres are increasing across the United States because of the enormous quantities of water they consume, along with the land and electricity required to power AI services. Several areas around the country have already blocked or delayed new data centre projects in response to these issues.
According to Variety, Nelson has generated more than $70million (£52.6million) through Farm Aid to assist rural agricultural communities. He has also helped collect millions for military veterans, disaster survivors, and people experiencing hunger or homelessness.
Nelson released his latest project, ‘Dream Chaser’, in May, marking the 79th solo album of his career.
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