Fightstar

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Fightstar
Background information
Origin London, UK
Genre(s) Post-hardcore
Alternative rock
Years active 2003–present
Label(s) Institute Records (UK)
Trustkill Records (USA)
Website Official website
Members
Charlie Simpson (vocals, guitar)
Alex Westaway (vocals, guitar)
Dan Haigh (bass)
Omar Abidi (drums)

Fightstar is a four-piece post-hardcore band from London, England. In 2005, frontman Charlie Simpson left the highly successful British guitar trio Busted, citing his marked preference and love for alternative rock-based music over the lighter pop rock music he had produced with Busted, and his intention to carry on carving out a musical niche, in a different genre, with his band Fightstar.

Contents

[edit] Origins

Fightstar formed in late 2003 after an impromptu jam session at a party in Charlie Simpson's London home. Simpson, impressed by their ability, soon asked the members to join a band. After a few songs had been written, the band recruited bassist Dan Haigh, a school friend of guitarist Alex Westaway.

The band are heavily influenced by the author Chuck Palahniuk, with the band naming a song after him (Palahniuk's Laughter) and including a drawing of Edward Norton's character in the film adaptation of the Palahniuk book Fight Club on the reverse side of their debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead.

Rehearsing and playing as often as Simpson's schedule would allow, things soon became more serious and it became apparent that a decision regarding the band's future had to be made. Simpson ultimately made the decision to leave Busted, with the group officially calling it quits in early 2005, and he looked eagerly ahead to life with Fightstar.

[edit] They Liked You Better When You Were Dead

Fightstar's debut EP, "They Liked You Better When You Were Dead", was released on February 28, 2005, following a rapid promotional tour of the UK. The release was deliberately constructed to be made non UK chart eligible. - Simpson's first attempt to clearly leave Busted and its teenage fanbase behind. The release proved popular enough to warrant a reprinting on March 23, 2005. The first track, Palahniuk's Laughter, enjoyed heavy rotation on music video channels and spent many weeks in charts based on video and radio requests. The track was originally entitled "Out Swimming In The Flood", but was renamed after the 2004 tsunami.

Initially, the band faced criticism from much of the British music press, because of Simpson's past career. Most vocal in the early days was Kerrang! magazine; however, the magazine quickly became one of the band's biggest supporters in the media, giving strongly positive reviews to early gigs and to the EP.

The band's first single, "Paint Your Target" was released on June 13, 2005 in the UK, peaking at #9 in the singles chart. Their second single, "Grand Unification Part 1" was released on October 31, 2005, and peaked at #20 in the UK singles chart.

A new version of the "They Liked You Better When You Were Dead " EP was released in early 2006 through Deep Elm Records in America.

In March 2006, they were listed by the US rock magazine Alternative Press as one of the 100 bands to watch out for.

[edit] Grand Unification

Grand Unification Cover.
Grand Unification Cover.

A week before the release of their debut album, Fightstar released their third single, "Waste A Moment" which peaked at number 29 on the UK Single Chart. It was only in the UK top 40 for one week. The video for the single was filmed in an abandoned London Underground tunnel, the same one used by "The Prodigy" for their video for "Firestarter". A week later, Fightstar released their debut full length album on 13 March 2006 through Universal Island Records, entitled Grand Unification. Produced and mixed by Colin Richardson (Bullet for My Valentine, Machine Head, Funeral for a Friend), the album entered the midweeks at #11 and ended up debuting at #28 in the UK charts. Grand Unification is due to be released in America in March 2007, along with a full US tour.

Fourth single "Hazy Eyes", backed by a cover of Funeral for a Friend's She Drove Me to Daytime TV was released in the UK on June 5, 2006. The single only got to Number 47 in the UK singles chart, no doubt affected by the world cup. The band also played a slot at the Download Festival at Donington Park Race Track and also headlined the Sunday of Welsh rock music festival The Full Ponty under Biffy Clyro and Funeral for a Friend. Fightstar toured with Funeral for a Friend for three months in 2006 covering such places as Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Fightstar have also recently covered Metallica's Leper Messiah and Deftones' My Own Summer for Kerrang! magazine free CD giveaways during 2006. They have covered Deftones' Minerva acoustically, which is available on the 7" vinyl version of the Waste A Moment single.

[edit] Second album

Kerrang magazine reported that Fightstar have set up camp on a farm in Northamptonshire (Al's Barn) to begin work on the follow up to their 2006 debut album Grand Unification. According to Charlie, Fightstar have already written 4 songs for the next album. He has also said that the band is a fan of Muse and Deftones in the way they push boundaries and aim to do the same.

The band hit the road for an extensive tour beginning at Glasgow Barrowlands on October 8 2006 with a supporting cast that they personally hand picked, including mancunian prog-rockers Oceansize, Rising US post-hardcore stars The Receiving End Of Sirens and Arizona rockers Scary Kids Scaring Kids.

On 8 September 2006 it was reported that Charlie Simpson had "torn up his contract" with his label Island Records, after the music bosses tried to force him into returning to a pop sound for his next Fightstar album. The former Busted star has struggled to be taken seriously as a rocker - and he has no intention of turning back now. And Simpson is even considering a complete new start in America with the band, where he hopes he can tap into the ever-growing emo-rock market. He says, "Earlier this week we decided to tear up the contract. "They wanted a pop album and we didn't. I've put so much into this band I don't want to start compromising now. "We're thinking about going to America. The market for our stuff is much bigger over there."[1]

On 19 September Charlie Simpson confirmed on Fightstar's official forum that they had left Island Records. Apparently 7 songs have been demo-ed and he expects Fightstar's second album to drop late 2007 after finding a new label, which they are currently in the middle of sorting out.

The official website and forum is currently down. Island Records are currently re-doing many of their artist's websites and considering Fightstar have left Island Records, it is unlikely they will continue to keep the site up for the band.

The band have just signed to Institute Records which is a brand new imprint of Gut Records. They will be recording the next album in L.A with producer Matt Wallace who has also produced the likes of Faith No More, Satchel, Deftones and Sugarcult. The album is set to be released around July/August this year.

The band have just been confirmed to headline the second stage at this year's Give It a Name festival.

[edit] Trivia

  • The Original U.K version of the EP "They Like You Better When You Were Dead" was released as a digipack unlike the later US and Japanese releases and has 5 tracks with a "hidden" 6th Track.
  • 'Paint Your Target' was used to coincide with a collection of video clips of Big Brother 7.
  • Fightstar appeared on CD:UK to promote the hit single 'Paint Your Target'.
  • Fightstar cancelled their appearance scheduled for massive UK chart show Top Of The Pops, despite the fact 'Paint Your Target' reached #9 in the UK singles chart.
  • The song Mono is rumoured to be a tribute by Charlie Simpson to the Japanese band Mono.
  • Fightstar did a cover of Metallica's "Leper Messiah" off of the Master of Puppets album for Kerrang!'s Master of Puppets: Remastered CD.
  • Fightstar have also covered the Deftones songs Minerva [on a 7" Vinyl Single] and My Own Summer (Shove It). My Own Summer is also a song they play live on tour.
  • Fightstar were nominated two years running at the annual Kerrang! awards. The nominations were for 'Best British Newcomer' (2005) and 'Best British Band' (2006).
  • Alex Westawy and Dan Haigh co-own a company called "Vs" which make t-shirts.
  • 99' a track off Fightstars forthcoming second album, was premiered on Kerrang radio on the 4th April 2007

[edit] Members

[edit] Record labels

[edit] UK

  • Island Records/Sandwich Leg: 2003 ---> September 2006
  • Gut Records Via Institute Records: February 2007 ---> Present

[edit] US

  • Deep Elm Records: January 2006 ----> March 2007
  • Trustkill Records: March 2007-----> Present

[edit] Discography

[edit] EPs

EP Cover Date of Release Title Label UK Album Chart Position UK sales
28 February 2005 They Liked You Better When You Were Dead Island Records CD - Not Chart Eligible

Vinyl - #12 In Indie Charts

 7500 CD Limited Release

1000 Vinyl Limited Release

[edit] Albums

Album Cover Date of Release Title Label UK Album Chart Position UK sales
13 March 2006 Grand Unification Island Records 28 40,000

[edit] Singles

Date Song UK Singles Chart Album/EP
2005 "Paint Your Target" 9 Grand Unification
2005 "Grand Unification Part 1" 20 Grand Unification
2006 "Waste A Moment" 29 Grand Unification
2006 "Hazy Eyes" 47 Grand Unification

[edit] References

  1. ^ www.contactmusic.com. News - Fightstar Ditch Island Records.

[edit] External links

Fightstar
Charlie Simpson | Alex Westaway | Dan Haigh | Omar Abidi
EP's
"They Liked You Better When You Were Dead"
Albums
"Grand Unification"
Singles
"Paint Your Target" | "Grand Unification Part 1" | "Waste a Moment" | "Hazy Eyes"
Labels
Institute Records (UK) | Deep Elm Records (America)
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