Review Summary: Post-hardcore rockers prove their worth on debut EP.
(for-give: verb. 1 - to grant pardon for or remission of an offense, debt, etc; absolve.) Rock fans are a stubborn bunch, so it’s not too often they'll be willing to forgive someone fronting a band that used to be part of a highly successful teen-pop trio. However, that is exactly what Charlie Simpson did and you have to commend the bloke for having the guts to do so. He turned his back on a scene full of screaming 14 year old girls to one of playing sweaty rock clubs in a genre his "heart was in", knowing full well it wasn't going to be easy to come out smiling at the other end.
I am of course talking about
Fightstar and the extended version of their debut EP,
They Liked You Better When You Were Dead. I knew, like everybody else, that it was the "posh one from
Busted" and his supposedly "real" rock outfit formed 18 months prior. But I had also made a very conscious decision from the start to be open minded and only judge what I was about to hear solely on the merit of the music itself.
The fact that Simpson was able to make such a drastic transition is commendable, but it’s even more remarkable that he along with his three band mates were able to craft a record of such excellence. Today, Fightstar have now overcome the initial hurdles and doubters that stood before them, and sit comfortably in the upper echelons of the rock scene in the UK. However, at the time of release,
They Liked You Better was being viewed under much scrutiny from the cynics. But it would become almost instantly clear that Simpson wasn't doing this for anybody apart from himself. Just the thrill of finally making music he actually loved, and that is perhaps the key to the bands respect and credibility of today.
The record blossoms with its dark approach and is often laced with unpredictable flourishes of noise. There are plenty of stop-start and quiet-loud shifts in dynamics that uncover the real beauty of Fightstar's style; the seemingly effortless unification of dissonance and subtle tenderness. The real backbone of the band though, is the vocal complexity of both Simpson and Alex Westaway. Both have contrasting styles that combine to add perfect balance to their arrangements. The duo’s guitar patterns work off each others to create intricate sounds capes and passages of crushing power. The rhythm sections are carried by the pounding drums of Omar Abidi and fluid bass lines of Dan Haigh.
"Palahniuk's Laughter" and “Until Then” are the urgent and engaging anthems, mixing full-throttle riffs and atmospheric breakdowns with great vocal delivery. “Amethyst” blends spacey and haunting guitar effects with the soft tone of Westaway’s vocals before leading into a fully distorted chorus and breakdown. The acoustically led “Cross out the Stars” strolls along with its tender verses and choruses before finishing in fine style with ethereal guitar melodies.
Opener “Paint Your Target” and penultimate track, “Hazy Eyes”, provide the straight up rock formula of souring melody and punch, whilst the best is perhaps saved till last, with the momentous “Mono”. Indeed, named in honour of the Japanese post-rock band of the same name, it leads the listener into a false sense of security with its beautiful and swirling guitar feedback. Then, the building tension erupts into a huge and powerful finale, pummelling the listener brutally with its raw emotional delivery.
Fightstar’s influences are laid bare all over the record. The grungy production hints at
Nirvana, while the spacey atmospherics often point towards
Radiohead. Then you have other moments of the pure post-hardcore of
Thrice, but it’s all crucially delivered with Fightstar’s stamp of honesty.
People may always have a problem with Simpsons past and never give Fightstar’s music a chance. Others will oblige and simply not like what they hear, which is perfectly acceptable. But it’s the former’s ignorance that will ultimately lead to people missing out. I for one am glad I approached the band like any other, with an open mind, and ended up discovering a fantastic record.
