Get Audio+
Hot FM
Kool 101
Eight FM
Fly FM
Molek FMHadouken!
NME calls them “the sound of now”, The Guardian says their the “Ace of Noise” and JUICE reckons they’re sound of the gaming generation; Hadouken!’s journey into stardom is as brightly lit as a glowstick.
Named after a Street Fighter attack move (wave motion fist) and sounding like they’re singing over a videogame beat, the five piece ASBO-Disco band was formed in Leeds in 2006, but it wasn’t until January 2007 that the public took notice thanks to The Street’s Mike Skinner. He dropped their first single ‘That Boy That Girl’ during a guest spot on BBC Radio 1 and when the single was released under the band’s own label, Surface Noise Records a month later, it became an internet phenomenon.
Since then, Hadouken! have gone from neon-enhanced nobodies to group at the forefront of a changing music industry due to a 360 degree deal. They’ve performed at their own music festival, released USB-only EPs and are constantly reinventing themselves with every single produced. “The wider public do view you by your singles,” acknowledged James Smith, Hadouken! vocalist, songwriter and producer in an interview with Popjustice.com.
Their singles are riddled with witty, sharp-tongued observations. In ‘That Boy, That Girl,’ they saing “That boy’s a Horton Hero/Skinny fit jeans and dressed in pink/How he dresses I care zero/ As long as he don’t steal my drink/That girl’s an indie Cindy/ Lego haircut and polka-dot dress/ I don’t care if she thinks she’s indie/ How she’s different is anyone’s guess.”
The upshot is a fanbase that is rock solid. At Aerials, Hadouken! fans converge, pay a year’s subscription, and get truckloads of free stuff including the opp to own the band’s Music for Accelerated Culture box-set, which is something of rarity as much of the material from the debut album was recorded in digital format. If you haven’t heard them get ready to feel the force – Hadouken!
Hadouken!’s Music for an Accelerated Culture is out now. Listen at www.myspace.com/hadoukenuk.
Text Ili Farhana
