Fightstar - Waste A Moment Video

Fightstar
Single – Waste A Moment
Release date: February 27th February 2006

Album - Grand Unification
Release date: March 6th 2006

Click here to watch the video for Fightstar's new single "Waste A Moment" out on Island Records on the 27th February.

On 6th March 06, Fightstar will be releasing their eagerly awaited debut album on their own label Sandwich Leg Recordings through Island. It's an album the band have been working towards for the last couple of years. "The moment I knew this band was going to work was when we were recording the EP," says Fightstar bassist Dan Haigh. "Charlie said, 'Shit, I'm really late for something I've got to do but I want to record this guitar line first.' It turned out the thing he was late for was playing Wembley with his old band. It meant so much that he'd rather have been recording with us."

The band's first rehearsal worked instantly, an immediate meeting of minds. "It was one of those cheesy moments that bands always say they have but it's true," says guitarist Al Westaway. "I was just thinking, 'This is fucking awesome," says Simpson. "I was playing music I actually liked and I hadn't done that since I was 15." They wrote and rehearsed as often as they could, taking the band as seriously as possible but never quite knowing whether they had a future as Simpson's day-job was getting busier.

That's only half the story. For most bands it's hard enough to break into the scene as a new band but, as Simpson explains, "Fightstar have almost had it doubly as hard. Most bands just have to impress people, we had to convert them first and then impress them. It would have been so easy for people not to take us seriously and, the fact that they have, is a testament to how much we've put into it. It's been our absolute life and we love doing it. I never expected people to be as good to us as they have been – both fans and the press. They gave us a real chance and there's been a real shift in our audience.

It's led to a confidence in the band, one born from a belief in their own music. It means that the bold steps they took with their first EP, 'They Liked You Better When You Were Dead', have been lengthened with their debut album 'Grand Unification'. Grand Unification' was also a chance to explore darker sounds, to search out beauty from the bleakest recesses. "We really tried to veer away from the whole emo thing," says Simpson. "It's too easy to write in that vein and now there are too many bands doing it badly." "As a result," continues Westaway, "Our songs became darker. We're always trying to find the beauty of darkness. There's something fascinating about shaping shadows."

The inspiration of Manga in general and, in particular, the series 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' has meant the band has had a chance to explore their visual side too. "We've always been a visual band and I think people are going to realise that when they see the artwork," says Haigh. "Dan Conway is the guy doing the artwork and he's monumentally talented. I'd been trawling the internet looking for an artist and came across him. His pictures already described our songs perfectly; it was as though he'd already been drawing them for us."

The album was produced by Colin Richardson (Funeral For A Friend, Machine Head, Slipknot). Charlie said "It was an absolute dream come true working with Colin. In my opinion he is the best rock producer on the planet. We couldn't have asked him to do a better job on the record." Colin said of working with Fightstar, "It's records like these that will go a long way to putting the British scene back on the map. I'm immensely proud of it - there's not a single weak song on it, and you can't say that about too many records these days. It's an album that will stand the test of time."


It's an album that's bold in design and spectacular in execution, a brave step forward but not a risky one because, with songs this good, there's no danger involved. This should come as no surprise to those who've seen Fightstar play live. When the band speak about what they hope for the album, they're humble, saying, "We just hope it gives us a chance to make another album." And, though they're ambitious, they're already stunned by what they've achieved. "People ask me whether we want to be a massive worldwide selling rock band," says Simpson. "It's never been about that. We're playing The Astoria in London in March and that's always been the benchmark for success for me. Anything else we achieve can only be a bonus from there."

The tracklisting is as follows:
To Sleep
Grand Unification Pt I
Waste A Moment
Sleep Well Tonight
Paint Your Target
Build An Army
Here Again (Last Conversation)
Lost Like Tears In Rain
Open Your Eyes
Mono
Hazy Eyes
Grand Unification Pt II
Wake Up

The band will be touring the UK in March at the following venues:
March 2006:
11 Mar Sat Southampton University
13 Mar Mon Norwich UEA
14 Mar Tue Leeds University
16 Mar Thu Birmingham Academy
17 Mar Fri Manchester Academy
18 Mar Sat Glasgow Barrowlands
19 Mar Sun Newcastle University
21 Mar Tue Bristol Academy
22 Mar Wed London Astoria
25 Mar Sat Dublin Temple Bar Music Centre
26 Mar Sun Belfast Spring & Airbrake