Better late than never, a review of Fightstar at the Liverpool O2 Academy 2, 14th February 2010.
After being surprised with tickets to this gig as a Valentines gift from my boyfriend, it was an amazingly pleasant outcome after having previously been convinced I was, in fact, going to see JLS, of X-FACTOR-runner-up-2008-‘fame’; seeing Fightstar prove that they are more than worthy of a look and listen was a much more fulfilling experience!
After a couple of support acts, one mediocre and one quite good, (apologies for not remembering their names!) Fightstar made their grand entrance. Feeling weak at the knees after having a crush on frontman Charlie Simpson since his Busted days, I looked forward to the gig and hoped they’d play my favourites, which they did, mixed with a wealth of material from all their albums, pleasing every fan in the room.
Since first coming across Fightstar 5 years ago, I felt an instant empathy with them, especially Charlie Simpson, because they must have felt like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders in the form of doubters and critics following the demise of Simpson’s success in Busted. Leaving the full-fringed, Americanised, teen-pop-rock group to aim higher and follow his true inspirations and aspirations would have been difficult and surely can only be described as admirable? After struggling, but persisting, for 5 or so years, the band are now well accomplished and tight in terms of their performance and friendships, which is evident through their chemistry on stage.
The venue itself is small and compact so the acoustics and sounds were amazing; the deep, husky voice of Simpson bellowed and resonated round the room with great power and force, even after apologising for having a sore-throat and losing his voice, he managed to belt out the tracks. The heavy guitars, juxtaposed with teasing, lighter riffs make for awesome music. The vocal harmonies throughout the tracks are a compliment to Simpson and his “right-hand-man”, Alex Westaway. The gravelly vocals and intriguing lyrics, blended with the sometimes rocky, sometimes metallic guitars and bass makes a great, fulfilling sound. There is clear depth and complexity in the tracks, yet they somehow manage to keep their clarity and maintain a forceful sound whilst being melodic and harmonic.
The raw talent, varied and accomplished vocals and polished instrumental finishes make Fightstar a great band to see live. I remarked at the time that I love when you see a band live and they not only exceed your expectations but they deliver incredible sounds, instrumentals and vocals that surpass any preconception you have. Fightstar delivered an incredible set that left you wanting more but not feeling, in any way, unfulfilled. The set included songs from their first album and more recent crowd pleasers like “Mercury Summer”, a lighter, more commercial track and their anthem “A City on Fire”, one of my favourite songs of all time! Their hit “Paint Your Target” went down really well with the crowd and Simpson’s enigmatic and enthusiastic personality had everyone joining in and singing to their hearts content!
After pitying Simpson and his bandmates for years, due to their dramatic rise, harsh criticisms, having bottles thrown at them at various festivals and being initially rejected by the rock/metal circle, they have finally shaken off their pop-related labels and now stand firm amongst some of the best bands of the moment, thanks to their own perseverance and merit. I think they should finally be proud of their achievements and no doubt the sold-out crowd at the Academy would vouch for their well-deserved success. [J]
Check out Fightstar’s album “Be Human” and their website: www.fightstarmusic.com