Be Human - Fightstar

I have to say, this band must be one of the hardest working out there. They haven't been going that long really, and have released 3 studio albums and been on countless tours. The thing is, most bands could probably release 3 albums in as many years if they wanted to, but the quality would probably be questionable. Fightstar however have produced nothing but great quality recordings, with meaningful, insightful lyrics and mesmerising instrumentals. This album in particular was a slight break away from their past albums. In some ways, it has much of the same characteristics as their past material. However, this album takes a much more experimental stance, implementing ...  Read the complete review

Following the implosion of former record label, Gut (via Institute Recordings) last year, Fightstar decided to form a joint venture with their management team (Search and Destroy Records) and self fund their third album. It was a risk, but much like Charlie Simpson's brave move to steer away from the manufactured pop word of Busted in search for respect and credibility with his new band, it appears to have paid off. The quartet take a new, experimental step with Be Human whilst still maintaining their post-hardcore roots. You have to credit the four-piece for constantly trying to evolve their sound and clearly not wanting to be pigeon-holed into any particular ...  Read the complete review

Three albums into their career (excluding the b-sides collection), Fightstar have progressively (and finally) shrugged off the Busted tag of front man Charlie Simpson. It seems a long time ago since the shock of the band's first single 'Palahniuk's Laughter' enjoyed regular TV promotion, with the band viewed in an unnecessarily negative light. 'Music fans' didn't give Fightstar a chance purely because of the Busted connection, but hard work and heavy UK touring has given the band the opportunity to finally express themselves without any pre-formed opinions. First album 'Grand Unification' gave them a large piece of credibility, as it had some good songs, but ...  Read the complete review