Fightstar, Coal Exchange, Cardiff
Artist profile:
Fightstar
Date: 17/10/06
Rating: ****
When faced with an inactive crowd unwilling to accept something new, many bands pull out all the stops, they do everything they can to convert new fans to their camp. The Receiving End of Sirens, tonight at least, are not one of those bands. With a large proportion of the crowd still attending school, it’s hard to see even a few heads nodding along. They aren’t a bad band, they tick all the right boxes and have some great breakdowns, but as the set wears on, the effort put in peters out – hindered further by standard frontman banter and songs that go on just that little bit too long.
Luckily, The Blackout are on hand to sort things out. Another local gig for the Merthyr crew, everything about them is explosive. Shameless self-promoters, singer Sean Smith is keen to point out the imminent release of their album: "We’re up against My Chemical Romance that week so we want to at least make it to number two."
"Meat Loaf’s album’s out too" second vocalist Gavin Butler interrupts.
“Number three then.”
Their banter may be hilarious throughout, but their music couldn’t be further removed. As friendly as a fistfight with a Bengal Tiger, song after song barrels out at break-neck speed. On paper, they should end up blending into the flood of ‘core’ dubbed bands; with screamy bits, singy bits and breakdowny bits. But they have an edge over the rest, a spark of potential that is just showing through in their material, and their onstage presence truly takes them head and shoulders above the competition.
They go out in style. Aided by mixing in the cleverest cover of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme you’ll ever hear; ‘Hardslammin’ is not only their best song; it’s the best way to describe The Blackout.
Following something so incendiary and lightning-fast by slowing the pace down should be a recipe for disaster. However, when the band at the helm is Oceansize the only thing served up is one of the best bands in Britain at the moment. Grossly underrated, they create some of the most beautiful and powerful soundscapes this side of Isis, only instead of the aforementioned band’s terrifying guttural roars, we get the soaring beauty of Mike Vennart’s vocals.
A stark contrast to the other bands on the bill, they only have time to fit in five of their atmospheric, attention-span-requiring songs. Not a single track goes on a note too long. They showcase their sound perfectly, from the punishingly heavy ‘One out of nOne’ to the breathtaking beauty of set-closer ‘Ornament / The Last Wrongs’. Nowhere near enough people have heard of this outstanding band. This needs to change.
“Fightstar are sh*t!” some joker shouts, half an hour before they come onstage. If there’s any justice in the world, the guy stuck around to be proved very wrong. This band hasn’t had their début album out a year, yet they play as if they’re touring their third.
An exceptionally tight unit, with an outstanding drummer in Omar Abidi, the set is superb, with b-sides and covers going down as well as their album material. Songs like ‘Build An Army’ and ‘Open Your Eyes’ getting as enthusiastic a reaction as the perfectly executed singles ‘Paint Your Target’ and (set highlight) ‘Palahniuk’s Laughter’.
Charlie Simpson's stage banter may be direct from the Front-man’s Phrasebook, but his command on the audience is impressive. Though the crowd need little persuasion to go absolutely crazy, with lethal pits opening up throughout the set with all sizes; from the youngest teenagers, to bare-chested hardcore types, to even more immense gentlemen: “What do you mean lift him? He’s 22 stone!”
The encore sees Mike Vennart come back on to play guitar while Simpson mans a keyboard for a gorgeous rendition of ‘Grand Unification pt2’, then delivers a cover of Deftones’ ‘My own Summer’ that, despite being a little out of tune and with words jumbled, still sets the exhausted crowd into fresh attempts to utterly decimate each other.
Some people still doubt Fightstar's credibility. It needs to stop. Now. They may not break new ground, but the quality of their output is superb, and the confidence and proficiency of their material - on record and onstage - means they outclass a lot of the competition.
Phillip May
Fightstar Official Site
Fightstar Myspace
Buy Fightstar CDs | Buy Fightstar mp3s | Buy Fightstar Tickets | Buy Fightstar Merch
Date: 17/10/06
Rating: ****
When faced with an inactive crowd unwilling to accept something new, many bands pull out all the stops, they do everything they can to convert new fans to their camp. The Receiving End of Sirens, tonight at least, are not one of those bands. With a large proportion of the crowd still attending school, it’s hard to see even a few heads nodding along. They aren’t a bad band, they tick all the right boxes and have some great breakdowns, but as the set wears on, the effort put in peters out – hindered further by standard frontman banter and songs that go on just that little bit too long.
Luckily, The Blackout are on hand to sort things out. Another local gig for the Merthyr crew, everything about them is explosive. Shameless self-promoters, singer Sean Smith is keen to point out the imminent release of their album: "We’re up against My Chemical Romance that week so we want to at least make it to number two."
"Meat Loaf’s album’s out too" second vocalist Gavin Butler interrupts.
“Number three then.”
Their banter may be hilarious throughout, but their music couldn’t be further removed. As friendly as a fistfight with a Bengal Tiger, song after song barrels out at break-neck speed. On paper, they should end up blending into the flood of ‘core’ dubbed bands; with screamy bits, singy bits and breakdowny bits. But they have an edge over the rest, a spark of potential that is just showing through in their material, and their onstage presence truly takes them head and shoulders above the competition.
They go out in style. Aided by mixing in the cleverest cover of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme you’ll ever hear; ‘Hardslammin’ is not only their best song; it’s the best way to describe The Blackout.
Following something so incendiary and lightning-fast by slowing the pace down should be a recipe for disaster. However, when the band at the helm is Oceansize the only thing served up is one of the best bands in Britain at the moment. Grossly underrated, they create some of the most beautiful and powerful soundscapes this side of Isis, only instead of the aforementioned band’s terrifying guttural roars, we get the soaring beauty of Mike Vennart’s vocals.
A stark contrast to the other bands on the bill, they only have time to fit in five of their atmospheric, attention-span-requiring songs. Not a single track goes on a note too long. They showcase their sound perfectly, from the punishingly heavy ‘One out of nOne’ to the breathtaking beauty of set-closer ‘Ornament / The Last Wrongs’. Nowhere near enough people have heard of this outstanding band. This needs to change.
“Fightstar are sh*t!” some joker shouts, half an hour before they come onstage. If there’s any justice in the world, the guy stuck around to be proved very wrong. This band hasn’t had their début album out a year, yet they play as if they’re touring their third.
An exceptionally tight unit, with an outstanding drummer in Omar Abidi, the set is superb, with b-sides and covers going down as well as their album material. Songs like ‘Build An Army’ and ‘Open Your Eyes’ getting as enthusiastic a reaction as the perfectly executed singles ‘Paint Your Target’ and (set highlight) ‘Palahniuk’s Laughter’.
Charlie Simpson's stage banter may be direct from the Front-man’s Phrasebook, but his command on the audience is impressive. Though the crowd need little persuasion to go absolutely crazy, with lethal pits opening up throughout the set with all sizes; from the youngest teenagers, to bare-chested hardcore types, to even more immense gentlemen: “What do you mean lift him? He’s 22 stone!”
The encore sees Mike Vennart come back on to play guitar while Simpson mans a keyboard for a gorgeous rendition of ‘Grand Unification pt2’, then delivers a cover of Deftones’ ‘My own Summer’ that, despite being a little out of tune and with words jumbled, still sets the exhausted crowd into fresh attempts to utterly decimate each other.
Some people still doubt Fightstar's credibility. It needs to stop. Now. They may not break new ground, but the quality of their output is superb, and the confidence and proficiency of their material - on record and onstage - means they outclass a lot of the competition.
Phillip May
Fightstar Official Site
Fightstar Myspace
Buy Fightstar CDs | Buy Fightstar mp3s | Buy Fightstar Tickets | Buy Fightstar Merch
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