Hard Times - Tales From The Wild Cat Place (2021)

Hard Times formed in the early 1980’s in Inverness, their story is one that is written into the memory of the people who watched their live shows all over the Scottish Highlands. This recording represents an affirmation of their love of great music and each other, a document of their dedication to art and what it can achieve and that music is the thread that binds us to our younger selves.

There’s something really difficult about writing the biography of a band. You can list their achievements, their awards, notable appearances and such like but Hard Times defy these conventions. They are a band that exists in a place between the pages of the great annals Rock n’ Roll, hidden like a rare plant in a secret garden.

Formed in the early 1980’s in Inverness, their story is one that is written into the memory of the people who watched their live shows all over the Scottish Highlands. They represent, to them, a rite of passage, a right to party in a way only young people can. I could write about what happened at those gigs but you wouldn’t believe most of it. The old “if you can remember it, you weren’t there’ trope will do for now. Suffice to say, all you imagine did happen and you should apologise for thinking such thoughts.

There were some personnel changes over the years but the core ethos of, live music played well and delivered with with a confidence honed by dedication, endures. The mid 1980’s, for rock fans, was cultural desert and Hard Times shows provided an oasis of great music and musicianship for the discerning fan.

Track List

01. TV Screen[4:34]
02. The Banshee[3:18]
03. The Summerlands[4:13]
04. Cry Freedom[4:07]
05. Do You Remember[4:53]
06. Holy Man[5:15]
07. Sunlight[5:22]
08. Whisky[3:45]
09. Rust[4:32]