LIFE GOES ON

A HIGH-PROFILE LAWSUIT WAS THE FIRST THREAT TO THE FUTURE OF THE BAND NOW KNOWN AS HARD LIFE. AS FRONTMAN MURRAY MATRAVERS TELLS US, HE ALMOST GOT IN HIS OWN WAY TOO, BEFORE THIRD ALBUM ONION GAVE HIM A FRESH START

- BY WILL RICHARDS

On 13 October 2023, the band formerly known as easy life played their final show, at London’s KOKO.

Less than two weeks previously, they had publicly announced that they were being sued by easyGroup, the brand owner of easyJet airlines. The band swiftly declared defeat in the legal battle and scrabbled to arrange final shows in their hometown of Leicester and adopted base of London before their deadline to cease trading under their name. “Sadly, it seems that justice is only available to those who can afford it,” the band told fans at the time.

At the final show (that date on the 13th was also a Friday, of course), a balance of righteous anger from fans and conflicted emotions from the band made for the most unique of farewell gigs. Chants were fired out from the crowd, with the band legally gagged from giving any response. They exited stage left, the mood half celebratory and half defeated, the band totally exhausted.

“I don’t even know if I was in the room,” frontman Murray Matravers reflects today of that night. “Normally, when you're on tour, a certain show or certain city gives you a vibe, and your feelings assimilate. At that gig, everyone in the band was feeling completely differently. We'd had a billion Zoom calls with a billion lawyers, been totally blasted and then been told, ‘Now you're playing the last show to all your diehard fans.”