Fightstar

Fightstar, the London-based post-hardcore group, first assembled in the mid-2000s while guitarist and vocalist Charlie Simpson continued performing with the U.K. pop trio Busted. Eager to explore his rock inclinations more deeply, Simpson joined a spontaneous party jam that evolved into ongoing songwriting and performances alongside guitarist Al Westaway and drummer Omar Abdid. Once the trio recognized the need for a bassist ahead of studio sessions, Westaway’s schoolmate Dan Haigh completed the lineup. They rehearsed and gigged whenever Simpson’s commitments with Busted permitted, yet the project soon demanded a firm choice about its direction. Simpson departed Busted, whose official dissolution arrived in early 2005, allowing him to commit fully to Fightstar. The band quickly built recognition across England through appearances at the Reading and Leeds Festival and the summer 2005 release of their Island debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead. After inking a deal with U.S. indie Deep Elm that September, the label issued the EP domestically the next April, coinciding with the domestic arrival of the full-length Grand Unification. Produced by Colin Richardson (Funeral for a Friend, Machine Head), the album broadened the scope of their earlier material while delving into darker subject matter. Fightstar backed Funeral for a Friend across Australia and the U.K. that spring and early summer. A June 2006 performance at the Download Festival followed, though the band drew attention when the video for their single “Paint Your Target” was banned in both the U.K. and U.S. over scenes of schoolchildren simulating warfare. Undeterred, Fightstar joined Trustkill Records in early 2007 and prepared to issue Grand Unification in North America that spring.