Steve Kemp (musician)

Steven Michael "Steve" Kemp (born 29 December 1978) is an English drummer. He is the drummer of alternative rock band Hard-Fi.

Steve Kemp
Birth name	Steven Michael Kemp
Born	(1978-12-29) 29 December 1978 (age 45)
Origin	Lancashire, England
Genres	Alternative rock, indie rock, punk rock
Occupation	Drummer
Instrument	Drums
Years active	2001—present
Website	Hard-Fi

Career

Originally from Lancashire, Kemp went to Morecambe High School, before he moved to London in his late teens to take a musical course. Kemp is a big fan of Liverpool F.C.^[1] and was originally a drummer for a DJ who happened to be a friend of Richard Archer. When Archer was scouting for members to be in his band, he asked Kemp to be part of it, through Kemp's link with the DJ.^[2]

In December 2007 he slammed bands such as Led Zeppelin and The Police for charging their fans £100 for tickets to their live concerts. He said "I know these old bands have a huge legacy but paying over £100 for a ticket is a joke. If it's a band you really love, of course you want to go and see them-but why should you then pay so much money for it? These rock 'n' roll dinosaurs are coming out for a last pay cheque. I don't know what they’re going to do on stage that's so special".^[3][4] He then joked, "I think we should split up in November, just to get back together in December. See if it makes us more famous. Maybe we could have November off and get back together in December and call it the reunion tour. The few remaining tickets will sell out in no time. It will be a winner. It will be perfect."^[4]

Kemp suffers from Crohn's disease^[5][6] and did an Open University degree in nutrition.^[7] He is also a keen fisherman^[8] and a qualified fly fishing instructor.^[9]

References

1. Nissim, Mayer (23 April 2012). "Hard-Fi to perform at 2012 FA Cup final". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
2. Kocan, Alex (27 April 2005). "Interview: Hard-Fi". Left Lion. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
3. "Hard-Fi brand Led Zeppelin 'dinosaurs'". NME. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
4. Fletcher, Alex (6 December 2007). "Hard-Fi attack 'rock dinosaurs'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
5. "SBS Radio with Hard-Fi drummer Steve Kemp" – via www.youtube.com.
6. "Hard-Fi: 'It's like we went a bit to the left so the right went Nazi Germany'". The Independent. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
7. Ramsay, Simon (27 September 2022). "'We've Still Got Something To Say': The Return of Hard-Fi - Stereoboard". Stereoboard.com. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
8. "Steve Kemp - Hard Fi". Eat, Sleep, Fish. Archived from the original on 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
9. "Why do I do What I Do?". 22 June 2017.