Fightstar

Fightstar were a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generally considered a post-hardcore band as a whole, Fightstar are known to incorporate metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound. Their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was released in 2005 and was a critical success.

The band released their debut studio album, Grand Unification, the following year; Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan called it "one of the best British rock albums of the last decade".<ref name="York"/> Fightstar received a nomination for Best British Band at the 2006 Kerrang! Awards before releasing their second album, One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours, in 2007. A compilation album including B-sides and rarities, Alternate Endings, was released the following year. The band self-funded and co-produced their third album, Be Human (2009), which featured orchestral and choral elements. It was their highest-charting album, peaking at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart.

Fightstar went on hiatus in 2010, allowing its members to concentrate on other projects. Fightstar reunited in 2014 and released their fourth studio album, Behind the Devil's Back, the following year. The record added electronic elements to their eclectic sound. All of their four studio albums charted in the top 40 and received critical praise.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In November 2015, Fightstar once again went on hiatus.

On 6 November 2023, Fightstar announced they would be returning for a one-off headline show at OVO Arena Wembley in March 2024 to mark the band's twenty year anniversary.

History

Template:AnchorOrigins (2003–2004)

In 2003, when Charlie Simpson was still a member of the pop punk band Busted, he met fellow songwriter-guitarist Alex Westaway and drummer Omar Abidi at a party.<ref name="IamFS" /> During the party, an impromptu jam session took place. Simpson, Westaway and Abidi played a loop of Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name", and agreed to attend a gig a few days later. After the show, they returned to Simpson's flat and played guitars and a v-drum kit; they then wrote their first song, "Too Much Punch".<ref name="Omar"/> Westaway later invited his school friend Haigh to practise with the band, and they began booking rehearsal sessions.<ref name="IamFS"/> Abidi was studying sound engineering at college, and guitarist Alex Westaway had recently moved to London after dropping out of university. Future bassist Dan Haigh, also based in London, worked for a game development company.<ref name="Omar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Simpson was becoming increasingly frustrated with Busted's music because he could not explore his own creative desires. The music he wrote did not fit Busted's established pop style.<ref name="IamFS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Simpson's time with Fightstar reportedly caused tension in Busted,<ref name="tensions">Template:Cite news</ref> which was amplified when Fightstar announced a 14-date UK tour.<ref name="disfightstartour">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Simpson told Busted's manager in December 2004 over the phone that he was leaving the pop trio to focus on Fightstar,<ref name="simpsonquit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and wanted to do something his "heart was in".<ref name="Guardian-touture">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At a press conference at the Soho Hotel in London on 14 January 2005, Busted's record label announced that the band had split up after Simpson's departure several weeks earlier.<ref name="tensions" /><ref name="conference">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:AnchorThey Liked You Better When You Were Dead (2004–2005)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

After Simpson's decision to focus on Fightstar, the band entered Criterion Studios in London with producer Mark Williams to begin work on their first EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead.<ref name="TLYBWYWD-credits">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> It was released as a mini-album, containing nine tracks written during the six months Simpson and Westaway lived together.<ref name="IamFS"/> Recording sessions were often interrupted, since Simpson was in the midst of a sold-out series of Wembley shows with Busted.<ref name="KerrangMag">Template:Cite news</ref>

They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, released on 28 February 2005 after a brief UK promotional tour.<ref name="OMH-theyliked" /> It was a critical success,<ref name="York">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="OMH-theyliked">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="theyliked-allmusic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> though Punknews.org reviewed it negatively.<ref name="Punknews">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Alex Westaway, the band's lead guitarist and co-lyricist, drew its artwork (based on Edward Norton) for the booklet;<ref name="Alex">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the EP's lead single, "Palahniuk's Laughter", was inspired by David Fincher's film Fight Club (1999), which in turn was based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.<ref name="Omar"/> "Palahniuk's Laughter" received heavy rotation on music-video channels and spent many weeks on charts based on video and radio requests.<ref name="Leeds">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The track, originally entitled "Out Swimming in the Flood", was renamed after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.<ref name="pennyblack">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The EP's UK version contained five tracks (including a sixth hidden track), and was ineligible for the UK Singles Chart. It was released the following year in North America as an extended mini-album by Deep Elm Records. The release was praised by critics, despite initial scepticism due to Simpson's former pop career with Busted.<ref name="Sputnik">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:AnchorGrand Unification (2005–2006)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

After the release and promotion of They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, the band were approached by their management about whom they wanted to produce their debut full-length album.<ref name="Metal Edge">Template:Cite news</ref> They requested Colin Richardson; initially sceptical about their chances, Richardson agreed to collaborate after he listened to their demos. Fightstar entered studios in west London and Surrey with Richardson in October 2005.<ref name="Kerrang!">Template:Cite news</ref> Richardson, who had previously produced albums for Funeral for a Friend, Machine Head and Fear Factory, was meticulous during pre-production and took five days to tune the drums.<ref name="KerrangMag"/> When recording began, he called the band "very focused" and said that there was a "real buzz because nobody knows what to expect."<ref name="Kerrang!"/> Grand Unification is a loose concept album, influenced by and based on the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime series. With lyrics loosely based on the personal experiences of Charlie Simpson and Alex Westaway, its underlying concept revolves around two people who experience the last few days of their lives before the end of the world.<ref name="BC">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Fightstarinstore2006.jpg

The band at an in-store autograph session

Grand Unification was released in the UK on 13 March 2006 by Island Records, preceded by the single releases of "Paint Your Target", "Grand Unification Pt. I" and "Waste a Moment". The album debuted at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart, and its first single ("Paint Your Target") reached number nine on the Singles Chart.<ref name="UKChart">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> That month, Fightstar were listed by the US rock magazine Alternative Press as one of 100 bands to watch in 2006<ref name="Echo">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Kerrang! editor Paul Brannigan called the album "one of the best British rock albums of the last decade".<ref name="York" /> The band played at the Download Festival at Donington Park,<ref name="download06">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and followed Biffy Clyro and Funeral for a Friend at the Full Ponty festival in Wales.<ref name="eFest">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fightstar toured several countries, including Australia, Japan and the UK, with Funeral for a Friend for three months in 2006.<ref name="FFAFTour">Template:Cite news</ref> The band released Grand Unification in North America on 17 April 2007 on Trustkill Records. This version was different from the British and Japanese versions because it features "Fight For Us" (the B-side of the fourth single "Hazy Eyes") as a bonus track.<ref name="GUUSA">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:AnchorOne Day Son, This Will All Be Yours (2007–2008)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}}

After leaving Island Records due to a disagreement over the band's artistic direction,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fightstar signed with the independent label Institute Records (a division of Gut Records) for their second album.<ref name="NME">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Charlie Simpson, the band and Island had come to a "cross road" when the label began pushing Fightstar to create a more "mainstream" record.<ref name="APODS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The band recorded One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours in Los Angeles with Matt Wallace, who had produced Angel Dust (1992) by Faith No More<ref name="APODS"/> (one of Simpson's favorite groups).<ref name="IamFS" />

To promote the album, Fightstar initially released the free downloadable single "99" in May 2007. The track, about being haunted by the loss of a loved one, was made available on the band's microsite with a music video.<ref name="NME99">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Its first official single, "We Apologise for Nothing", was released in September and reached number 63 on the UK Singles Chart.<ref name="UKChart"/> The third single, "Deathcar", was the first official UK VinylDisc release.<ref name="VinylDisc">Template:Cite news</ref> The song, inspired by a harrowing documentary about Chinese execution vans<ref name="PennyB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the end of Simpson's romantic relationship, produced a low-fi music video which cost £500 to make.<ref name="PennyB"/> The VinylDisc single reached number 92 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two on the Indie and Rock Charts in its first week.<ref name="UKChart"/> The fourth single, "Floods", was released the following March. The band wrote it amid growing concern about global warming after they saw Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth.<ref name="RSFloods">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Fightstar performed the song on Colin Murray's BBC Radio 1 live sessions.<ref name="alt-ends review">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The band went on a 10-date UK tour in May 2008,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> supported by the London four-piece Brigade.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The tour included dates at the Leeds Slam Dunk Festival on 25 May and Carling Academy Islington on 29 May.<ref name="may-08-uk">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> One Day Son, This Will All Be YoursTemplate:' last single, "I Am The Message", was released on 16 June 2008<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as a double A side single; the other side was a cover of The Flaming Lips' "Waitin' for a Superman", recorded for the Colin Murray Radio 1 show.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

Template:AnchorAlternate Endings and Be Human (2008–2010)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} On 11 August 2008 Fightstar released the B-sides album Alternate Endings, with live radio sessions, covers and a previously-unreleased track.<ref name="melodic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> When Gut Records went into administration at the end of 2008<ref name="musicweek">Template:Cite magazine</ref> the band decided to release their next album, Be Human, in a joint venture with their management company (Raw Power) on the Search and Destroy label. The album was distributed by PIAS Records.<ref name="musicfix">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fightstar released their first single from Be Human, "The English Way", on 3 November 2008 and it topped the UK rock chart. Its video was played on Kerrang! and Scuzz T.V., and topped the MTV2 top 10. The album was co-produced by the band and Carl Bown at Treehouse Studios, Bown's Chesterfield studio. In interviews before its release, Fightstar called the new album "quite different" from their previous releases; Charlie Simpson said that they wanted to experiment with a "rock opera" sound, including strings and a choir. Simpson said that although it might be different, it would still be a Fightstar album with their trademark dark, heavy elements.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The band supported Feeder for the first part of their UK tour, which began on 21 October 2008.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Drummer Jason Bowld of the British metal band Pitchshifter filled in for Omar Abidi on their UK tour while Abidi recovered from a broken wrist; Abidi returned to touring with the band in early 2009.<ref name="youtube2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> Due to the drummer's injury, Simpson played drums on six tracks of the new album while Abidi wrote the drum parts and oversaw Simpson's playing.<ref name="spoonfed">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

File:Fightstar Birmingham 270409.JPG

Fightstar performing in 2009

On 4 February 2009, Fightstar announced a 12-date UK tour supported by In Case of Fire and Laruso.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Two weeks before the release of Be Human, "Mercury Summer" was released as the next single;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> its video debuted on the band's MySpace page on 25 February.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Mercury Summer" was well-received, reaching the A List of the Radio 1 Playlist;<ref name="mercury-a-list">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the band was featured on the BBC2 music show, Sound. "Mercury Summer" was added to the daytime playlist at XFM Radio and picked as Ian Camfield's Record of the Week. Emma Scott and Kerrang Radio also made "Mercury Summer" her Record of the Week. Be Human was released on 20 April 2009, reaching the highest chart peak of any Fightstar album: number 20 on the UK Albums Chart.<ref name="UKChart"/>

The band introduced "A City on Fire" during Fearne Cotton's Radio 1 show on 19 October;<ref name="acof-female">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> its video, directed by Sitcom Soldiers, premiered on 24 October.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The single was released as a digital download on 20 December<ref name="AltSounds">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and peaked at numbers four and ten on the UK Rock and Indie charts, respectively.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fightstar released a deluxe edition of Be Human on 1 March 2010 with five new tracks, including "A City on Fire" and a live cover of Jordin Sparks' "Battlefield" on the iTunes edition.<ref name="behuman-deluxe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:AnchorHiatus and side projects (2010–2014)

In 2010, Fightstar announced that they were going on hiatus to focus on separate projects.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Westaway and Haigh worked on Gunship, a synthwave group devoted to film music,<ref name="fortitude">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and completed production of the score to Grzegorz Jonkajtys and Bastiaan Koch's short film, The 3rd Letter, with Audrey Riley. The film received several awards from film festivals worldwide.<ref name="3rd-letter">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Simpson began work on solo material. In December 2010 he released an EP entitled When We Were Lions through PledgeMusic, an organisation which helps artists raise money to record music from fans.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His debut album, Young Pilgrim, was released in August 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Simpson's solo work differed from his previous efforts, featuring a sound described as closer to folk music than to rock or pop.<ref name="MelodicReview">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He said that Fightstar would record another album, but he first planned to record another solo album while Westaway and Haigh worked with Gunship.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In a December 2012 Digital Spy interview, Simpson confirmed his plan to finish writing (and record) the second solo album in February 2013. After an intended US release and tour in the summer of 2013 promoting the album, he planned that Fightstar would reunite and begin writing for their fourth album.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Simpson's second solo album, Long Road Home, was released in August 2014.<ref name="long-road-home">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Template:AnchorReturn from hiatus and Behind the Devil's Back (2014–2024)

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} Template:Quote box On 24 September 2014, the band's website was updated to include a countdown timer accompanied by text reading "News ...".<ref name="countdown">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The timer ended on 13 October with the announcement of a ten-year anniversary show at the Forum in London. A statement from the band followed: "It has been 10 years since the inception of this band and we wanted to celebrate it with a bang. We want to thank you all for your love and support over the past ten years and we can't wait to commemorate this milestone with you guys."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The concert sold out in minutes; due to demand a second concert was scheduled at O2 Academy Brixton for December,<ref name="punktastic">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which was later postponed until February 2015.<ref name="winter-14-15-tour" /> With news of the postponement came an announcement of additional dates in Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester.<ref name="winter-14-15-tour">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 25 February, it was confirmed that the band would be third-stage headliners at the 2015 Download Festival.<ref name="download-15">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 12 May 2015, Simpson posted on Instagram that Fightstar had returned to the studio to work on new material with producer Carl Bown and began using Twitter for updates on the progress of the album.<ref>Charlie Simpson - Recording first guitar parts for new Fightstar album Template:Webarchive Twitter.com. Retrieved 3 June 2015</ref> On 22 July it was announced that the band would release Behind The Devil's Back on 16 October, with a string of UK dates promoting the album to follow.<ref name="headline-15">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 26 July the BBC Radio 1 Rock Show introduced "Animal", the band's first new song in five years<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which was released digitally on iTunes on 7 August.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 10 November 2015 Simpson reunited with Busted to record new music and tour,<ref name="busted-reunion">Template:Cite news</ref> saying that Fightstar would continue to tour and release music as a "passion project" for its members.<ref name="passion-project">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some music journalists, such as Team Rock's Tom Bryant, speculated that it was due to Fightstar never being particularly financially successful (while Busted remained profitable),<ref name="Busted-money"/> but in a Newsbeat interview, Simpson stated that he was swayed due to the chemistry in the studio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In an interview in April 2019, Simpson confirmed that Fightstar will return at some point in the future, and that he'd also been writing some material for it recently.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref>

On 6 November 2023, Fightstar announced they would be returning for a headline show at OVO Arena Wembley in London on 22 March 2024. Their return marks the band's twenty year anniversary.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Musical style and influences

{{#invoke:Listen|main}}

Fightstar has been described as post-hardcore,<ref name="amg">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="sput">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="LMS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> alternative rock,<ref name="411mania" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> emo,<ref name="pennyblack" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and alternative metal.<ref name=rs-india>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="sink">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Kerrang!, the band's influences are post-rock, heavy metal and hardcore punk.<ref name="KerrangMag"/> Simpson echoed this, describing their musical aim as trying to "combine the light and dark shades, to make something utterly brutal and really heavy and on the other side have something really delicate and beautiful. The fusion of those things is what Fightstar does."<ref name="Outburn07">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Though the band have been labelled emo, they have tried to avoid writing in that fashion.<ref name="Fix">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Grand Unification and One Day Son, This Will All Be YoursTemplate:' themes were apocalyptic,<ref name="artswardvoice-gu">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="leedsmusicscene">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and subsequent work varied from patriotism ("The English Way")<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> to self-loathing ("Damocles" and "Animal").<ref name="UG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Fightstar have been influenced by the works of author Chuck Palahniuk, as well as films and comics such as the Neon Genesis Evangelion series.<ref name="BC" />

In his review of Grand Unification (2006), Vik Bansal of musicOMH wrote about their varied dynamics: "Where others are happy to be one-dimensional, Fightstar are not content unless a song moves fluidly through seemingly incongruous but ultimately coherent moods and musical dynamics. The interspersion of thoroughly heavy metal sections within the otherwise widescreen rock of 'Grand Unification Pt I' and 'Sleep Well Tonight' encapsulates this perfectly".<ref name="OMH">Template:Cite magazine</ref> One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours showed the band expanding their sound and pushing further into both lighter and heavier territories, with a mixture of more melodic soundscapes and heavier metallic styles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> According to Q magazine, "The intricate instrumental passages, multi-tracked vocal harmonies and pounding riffs hint at Muse-scale ambition and intellect".<ref name="Q">Template:Cite news</ref>

Fightstar's third album, Be Human (2009), featured choral and orchestral elements.<ref name="DMG">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Emma Johnston of Kerrang! emphasised this in her review: "Fightstar throw as many orchestral and choral flourishes at their muscular, solemnly heavy rock as it could take without drowning".<ref name="Kerr">Template:Cite news</ref> Anton Djamoos of AbsolutePunk wrote that the album has a "certain symphonic quality" which is "a departure from the general body of work we've seen in the past. They break from their own norm with several orchestral elements to make the album sound more full and let the music hit even harder".<ref name="BEAPR">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Matt Shoemaker of 411mania.com described the album as typical Fightstar ("[a] range from pure metal to alternative rock to bordering on emo at times"), influenced by progressive rock, acoustic and country pop in addition to its orchestral and choral elements.<ref name="411mania">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Behind the Devil's Back (2015) was noted for a heavier use of electronics than in the past, said by some critics to be reminiscent of Westaway and Haigh's side project Gunship.<ref name="rocksins" /><ref name="edge-devil" /> The Edge and Rocksins.com reviewers remarked in particular the album's 1980s-style synths,<ref name="rocksins">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="edge-devil">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while NE:MM writer David Smith drew comparisons to American alternative rock supergroup Angels & Airwaves.<ref name="smith">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Fightstar have said that they are influenced by a variety of music (particularly film scores),<ref name="Omar"/> citing Nirvana, Deftones, Radiohead, Silverchair, Pantera, Thrice, Mono, Explosions in the Sky, Elliott Smith, Funeral for a Friend, The Cure and Jeff Buckley as inspirations.<ref name=rs-india /><ref name="AMP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="RS">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Abidi called Deftones the band with whom he would most like to perform: "If I got to play with (them), that'd be it, you could stick a fork in me."<ref name="spoonfed"/>

Template:AnchorMembers

• Charlie Simpson – vocals, rhythm guitar, piano
• Alex Westaway – vocals, lead guitar
• Dan Haigh – bass guitar
• Omar Abidi – drums, percussion

Touring members

• Will Simpson – additional guitars

Discography

• Grand Unification (2006)
• One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours (2007)
• Be Human (2009)
• Behind the Devil's Back (2015)

Template:AnchorKerrang! Awards

Template:Awards table |- | 2006 || Fightstar || Best British Band || Template:Nom<ref name="CBBC">Template:Cite news</ref>

{{safesubst:#if:|||} }}{{safesubst:#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:End with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| html | 1 }}

External links

• Template:Official website
• {{#ifeq: | yes

| https://www.allmusic.com/Template:Trim/Template:Trim{{

 #if: 
 | /{{{tab}}}
 }}

| {{#if:

 | {{#if: 
   | {{#if: |[[{{{author-link}}}|{{#if: |, {{{first}}} }}]]|{{#if: |, {{{first}}} }}}}. 
   }}[https://www.allmusic.com/Template:Trim/Template:Trim{{
   #if: 
   | /{{{tab}}}
   }} {{
   #if: 
   | {{{title}}}
   | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
   }}] at AllMusic{{
   #if: 
   | . Retrieved .
   }}

 | {{#if: {{#property:P1728}}
   | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

   | {{#if: {{#property:P1729}}
     | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

     | {{#if: {{#property:P1730}}
       | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

       | {{#if: {{#property:P1994}}
         | Template:First word {{#if:  | {{{title}}} | Template:PAGENAMEBASE }} at AllMusicTemplate:EditAtWikidata

         | Template:Main other

         }}
       }}
     }}
   }}
 }}

}}