Interview: Fightstar
Artist profile:
Fightstar
Rocklouder talks to Charlie and Omar from Fightstar, backstage on their recent UK tour...
What can we expect from the new album?
Charlie: It kind of takes off from where the last one started, I guess, but we took the heavier stuff we were doing and made it a lot heavier, and then we took the kind of more chilled out stuff and, I guess, made it more sound-scapey. I just think that the song writing on this record has progressed; I think they’re better songs. I love the last album, but I think we have endeavoured to make a better record this time around. I’m really interested to hear the fans reactions because it is something a bit different.
What has influenced this new record?
Charlie: Oh, so many things, man. I guess it’s a lot more of a personal record. I’d just come out of a seven-year relationship when the lyrics were being written so that gives that a big theme on what’s being talked about, but then in general I guess global warming has had an influence on the record; the wars going on at the moment has had an influence – just the general state of play with our human society. The album title – 'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours' – is kind of derived from, you know, everything we do now is going to have consequences on our kids’ generations, so it’s kind of taking responsibility, I guess.
How do you combine so many influences – in terms of the music – into the one record?
Charlie: That’s a good question.
Omar: That’s why our records are so broad – it’s because we do draw on so many influences. If you were to put every single influence into one track, God knows what it would sound like! Maybe that’s kind of what we’ve always been striving for. 'Tannhauser' is pretty much that. Yeah, there’s one track on the album that, I think, for me it’s actually probably my favourite track on the album after listening to it a hundred times in the last month. It’s called 'Tannhauser Gate' and it’s just… It’s brutal but it’s really beautiful at the same time, so I think that’s the kind of combination we’ve been looking for for a while.
Charlie: I think the way we do it is we draw from all our personal influences and they range from such a vast landscape – we’re into Sigur Ros as much as we’re into Machine Head and Meshuggah, so I think it’s kind of taking all the elements and try to put them into one thing.
What would you say was your favourite track on the album?
Charlie: For me, it’s probably a track called 'Deathcar', I reckon.
Omar: For me, it’s 'Tannhauser Gate'.
What is the meaning behind the title of the album?
Charlie: 'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours' was taken from a picture I saw. It’s kind of... the state of things in Iraq at the moment, and it was just basically saying that with everything going on at the moment, whether it be global warming or the wars, or anything in peoples’ personal lives – the actions we take now, we’re not really going to... The repercussions of it, a lot of the things that us a human race are doing at the moment – we’re going to see the consequences in fifty years when we’re all pretty much old and ready to pop our clogs. It is our kids and our kids’ generations that’ll deal with it.
Omar: It’s a play on the old saying as well. A rich father turns to his son and says “One day, son, this will all be yours,” but nowadays, it’s not... If we’re talking socially, none of us are really that rich any more; there’s not much left in the world for future generations to take hold of and use, so it’s kid of a play on that saying.
Charlie: It’s not all negative – there are positives to it as well, but I guess it’s just a warning to people.
Omar: Yeah… Take heed!
'Grand Unification' was received really well over all, especially with the media. Do you feel that you’re under any kind of pressure to get a similar if not better response this time around?
Charlie: Yeah, definitely. I think that if there wasn’t that pressure there’d be something wrong with you. I think every band should strive to better themselves. As I said, I’m really proud of the first record. There’s definitely a kind of apprehension towards the reaction, but I think that as long as you’re proud of it that’s all you can do, you know? You’ve got to hope that everyone else likes it as well.
Omar: I think with the last record we did have the pressure of trying to prove ourselves in many ways to people who had it out for us in many respects, but this time around we’re kind of over that a lot. It’s more doing it for purely musical reason on this record, there wasn’t any worry of ‘are people going to get the wrong idea about this?’ It was just this is what we’re doing, this is the flow – nothing really interrupted that.
What have you been up to over the past year, or rather, since the October tour of last year?
Omar: It’s been really busy, what we’ve been up to.
Charlie: We haven’t actually been in the country that much. Since Christmas – we were in America for about four or five months. We did two months in LA recording the album, went on tour for two months around the States with Funeral For A Friend, and Madina Lake, which was awesome. We came back, like, a month ago and we’ve pretty much been gearing up for the record release. It has been a mad year. In England it would have seemed like we kind of disappeared into a hole for a while, which we did – it was just on the other side of the world.
What’s the story behind We Apologise For Nothing?
Charlie: I guess it’s you have to stand up for what you believe in, and fight for it whether it’s on a political front, or just at home with your wife. If you want to get things done, you have to stand up for them and you have to believe in them. I think that it’s all so easy to just sit back and think ‘it’s not working out – just give up on it’ and whatever circumstances you’re under. I’m a firm believer that if you really put your whole heart and soul into something then you’re going to achieve results, so I guess that’s what it’s about.
How much creative control do you have over your records and videos?
Charlie: The album – we had full creative control. Videos – in the beginning, you know, Dan [bassist] had a big hand in the direction because he makes films and video games, so he’s well equipped with CG animation. With these new ones, because we’ve been away and we haven’t really been here, and hadn’t had that much time to be hands-on with it, we have gone to outside directors this time so we haven’t had as much of a hold on the videos as we did on the last ones, but I think they’re cool; we’re pleased with how they’ve turned out. Obviously, the busier you get the less control you have over promotional tools.
Omar: It’s part and parcel of, really. It’s like, you know, you strive to be a bigger band and people sometimes turn around and slate you for not being able to deal with every little details on a day to day basis. Once you start touring, like, in America or going to Australia or Japan, and things like that – it’s impossible to be in the loop with every little details of everything. I mean, that’s partly the way the machine works – you kind of have to grow to get used to it and accept it. In the beginning, as you probably know, we were always really intent on keeping everything within the four of us – everything had to go through the four of us before it went out to anyone else. Now it’s just so busy these days that it can’t be like that. It’s a shame, but we trust the people in our camp enough to deal with those sorts of things.
Charlie: Anything directly related to the record – like artwork – is still totally within our control.
Omar: Yeah, the artwork, music – everything. Mixing, mastering – down to the sticky label that goes on the front of the album – we always make sure that’s 100 percent gone through us and we’re happy with it.
Which track are you most looking forward to performing live [from the new record?
Omar: Me personally, I’m looking forward to playing 'Tannhauser'– my favourite, but we’re not really going to be playing that until the October tour.
Charlie: There’s a track tonight called 'Amaze Us', which I find fun to play. It’s kind of like a real 90s throw-back rock song and fun to play.
Which band would you most love to support on tour?
Charlie: Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones...
Omar: Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones... Or Tool.
Charlie: Tool would be cool, but Deftones, Deftones, Deftones. For sure, man!
Omar: There’s no doubt, really.
Charlie: The day we get a Deftones show I will pee my pants.
Omar: I’ll stand there with you and do it too!
What does H.I.P mean?
Charlie: Ask Dan…
Omar: It’s the Human Instrumentality Project – it’s actually to do with a film that Dan, Al… and we’re all involved as a band in it, we’re making it at the moment. It’s not a full feature-length, but it’s getting close!
Charlie: It started as like, a ten minute short.
Omar: Now it’s getting longer and longer – big production, lots of gore, lots of shooting and killing, and fun. It’s kind of like a S.W.A.T-film-goes-a-little-bit-crazy. Look out for it! That’s what it stands for – Human Instrumentality Project. You’ve pretty much got an exclusive, there!
'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours is released by Gut Records on 24th September.
Toni-Michelle Spencer
Fightstar Official Site
Fightstar Myspace
Buy Fightstar CDs | Buy Fightstar mp3s | Buy Fightstar Tickets | Buy Fightstar Merch
Rocklouder talks to Charlie and Omar from Fightstar, backstage on their recent UK tour...
What can we expect from the new album?
Charlie: It kind of takes off from where the last one started, I guess, but we took the heavier stuff we were doing and made it a lot heavier, and then we took the kind of more chilled out stuff and, I guess, made it more sound-scapey. I just think that the song writing on this record has progressed; I think they’re better songs. I love the last album, but I think we have endeavoured to make a better record this time around. I’m really interested to hear the fans reactions because it is something a bit different.
What has influenced this new record?
Charlie: Oh, so many things, man. I guess it’s a lot more of a personal record. I’d just come out of a seven-year relationship when the lyrics were being written so that gives that a big theme on what’s being talked about, but then in general I guess global warming has had an influence on the record; the wars going on at the moment has had an influence – just the general state of play with our human society. The album title – 'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours' – is kind of derived from, you know, everything we do now is going to have consequences on our kids’ generations, so it’s kind of taking responsibility, I guess.
How do you combine so many influences – in terms of the music – into the one record?
Charlie: That’s a good question.
Omar: That’s why our records are so broad – it’s because we do draw on so many influences. If you were to put every single influence into one track, God knows what it would sound like! Maybe that’s kind of what we’ve always been striving for. 'Tannhauser' is pretty much that. Yeah, there’s one track on the album that, I think, for me it’s actually probably my favourite track on the album after listening to it a hundred times in the last month. It’s called 'Tannhauser Gate' and it’s just… It’s brutal but it’s really beautiful at the same time, so I think that’s the kind of combination we’ve been looking for for a while.
Charlie: I think the way we do it is we draw from all our personal influences and they range from such a vast landscape – we’re into Sigur Ros as much as we’re into Machine Head and Meshuggah, so I think it’s kind of taking all the elements and try to put them into one thing.
What would you say was your favourite track on the album?
Charlie: For me, it’s probably a track called 'Deathcar', I reckon.
Omar: For me, it’s 'Tannhauser Gate'.
What is the meaning behind the title of the album?
Charlie: 'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours' was taken from a picture I saw. It’s kind of... the state of things in Iraq at the moment, and it was just basically saying that with everything going on at the moment, whether it be global warming or the wars, or anything in peoples’ personal lives – the actions we take now, we’re not really going to... The repercussions of it, a lot of the things that us a human race are doing at the moment – we’re going to see the consequences in fifty years when we’re all pretty much old and ready to pop our clogs. It is our kids and our kids’ generations that’ll deal with it.
Omar: It’s a play on the old saying as well. A rich father turns to his son and says “One day, son, this will all be yours,” but nowadays, it’s not... If we’re talking socially, none of us are really that rich any more; there’s not much left in the world for future generations to take hold of and use, so it’s kid of a play on that saying.
Charlie: It’s not all negative – there are positives to it as well, but I guess it’s just a warning to people.
Omar: Yeah… Take heed!
'Grand Unification' was received really well over all, especially with the media. Do you feel that you’re under any kind of pressure to get a similar if not better response this time around?
Charlie: Yeah, definitely. I think that if there wasn’t that pressure there’d be something wrong with you. I think every band should strive to better themselves. As I said, I’m really proud of the first record. There’s definitely a kind of apprehension towards the reaction, but I think that as long as you’re proud of it that’s all you can do, you know? You’ve got to hope that everyone else likes it as well.
Omar: I think with the last record we did have the pressure of trying to prove ourselves in many ways to people who had it out for us in many respects, but this time around we’re kind of over that a lot. It’s more doing it for purely musical reason on this record, there wasn’t any worry of ‘are people going to get the wrong idea about this?’ It was just this is what we’re doing, this is the flow – nothing really interrupted that.
What have you been up to over the past year, or rather, since the October tour of last year?
Omar: It’s been really busy, what we’ve been up to.
Charlie: We haven’t actually been in the country that much. Since Christmas – we were in America for about four or five months. We did two months in LA recording the album, went on tour for two months around the States with Funeral For A Friend, and Madina Lake, which was awesome. We came back, like, a month ago and we’ve pretty much been gearing up for the record release. It has been a mad year. In England it would have seemed like we kind of disappeared into a hole for a while, which we did – it was just on the other side of the world.
What’s the story behind We Apologise For Nothing?
Charlie: I guess it’s you have to stand up for what you believe in, and fight for it whether it’s on a political front, or just at home with your wife. If you want to get things done, you have to stand up for them and you have to believe in them. I think that it’s all so easy to just sit back and think ‘it’s not working out – just give up on it’ and whatever circumstances you’re under. I’m a firm believer that if you really put your whole heart and soul into something then you’re going to achieve results, so I guess that’s what it’s about.
How much creative control do you have over your records and videos?
Charlie: The album – we had full creative control. Videos – in the beginning, you know, Dan [bassist] had a big hand in the direction because he makes films and video games, so he’s well equipped with CG animation. With these new ones, because we’ve been away and we haven’t really been here, and hadn’t had that much time to be hands-on with it, we have gone to outside directors this time so we haven’t had as much of a hold on the videos as we did on the last ones, but I think they’re cool; we’re pleased with how they’ve turned out. Obviously, the busier you get the less control you have over promotional tools.
Omar: It’s part and parcel of, really. It’s like, you know, you strive to be a bigger band and people sometimes turn around and slate you for not being able to deal with every little details on a day to day basis. Once you start touring, like, in America or going to Australia or Japan, and things like that – it’s impossible to be in the loop with every little details of everything. I mean, that’s partly the way the machine works – you kind of have to grow to get used to it and accept it. In the beginning, as you probably know, we were always really intent on keeping everything within the four of us – everything had to go through the four of us before it went out to anyone else. Now it’s just so busy these days that it can’t be like that. It’s a shame, but we trust the people in our camp enough to deal with those sorts of things.
Charlie: Anything directly related to the record – like artwork – is still totally within our control.
Omar: Yeah, the artwork, music – everything. Mixing, mastering – down to the sticky label that goes on the front of the album – we always make sure that’s 100 percent gone through us and we’re happy with it.
Which track are you most looking forward to performing live [from the new record?
Omar: Me personally, I’m looking forward to playing 'Tannhauser'– my favourite, but we’re not really going to be playing that until the October tour.
Charlie: There’s a track tonight called 'Amaze Us', which I find fun to play. It’s kind of like a real 90s throw-back rock song and fun to play.
Which band would you most love to support on tour?
Charlie: Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones...
Omar: Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones, Deftones... Or Tool.
Charlie: Tool would be cool, but Deftones, Deftones, Deftones. For sure, man!
Omar: There’s no doubt, really.
Charlie: The day we get a Deftones show I will pee my pants.
Omar: I’ll stand there with you and do it too!
What does H.I.P mean?
Charlie: Ask Dan…
Omar: It’s the Human Instrumentality Project – it’s actually to do with a film that Dan, Al… and we’re all involved as a band in it, we’re making it at the moment. It’s not a full feature-length, but it’s getting close!
Charlie: It started as like, a ten minute short.
Omar: Now it’s getting longer and longer – big production, lots of gore, lots of shooting and killing, and fun. It’s kind of like a S.W.A.T-film-goes-a-little-bit-crazy. Look out for it! That’s what it stands for – Human Instrumentality Project. You’ve pretty much got an exclusive, there!
'One Day Son This Will All Be Yours is released by Gut Records on 24th September.
Toni-Michelle Spencer
Fightstar Official Site
Fightstar Myspace
Buy Fightstar CDs | Buy Fightstar mp3s | Buy Fightstar Tickets | Buy Fightstar Merch
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