The band are currently taking an extended hiatus and are expected to regroup in the near future to write new material.
Fightstar’s debut EP, “They Liked You Better When You Were Dead”, was released on February 28, 2005, following a rapid promotional tour of the United Kingdom. Being an EP and containing in excess of 3 tracks (it in fact contained 6 tracks, one more than shown on the track listing, the 6th being a hidden track) it was ineligible for the singles chart in the UK - whether or not this was a conscious choice on the part of the band, since it effectively negated the possibility of their first release being judged by its placing in the singles chart (and so, almost inevitably, poorly by comparison with Simpson’s former band), is a matter for debate; regardless, the release proved popular enough to warrant a reprinting on March 23, 2005. First track, Palahniuk’s Laughter, enjoyed heavy rotation on music video channels and spent many weeks in charts based on video and radio requests.
The release of Fightstar's first full length album "Grand Unification" showed a band that could not be further from Simpsons previous band Busted. With raw power, melodic guitars and hard rock hooks they showed the world that Simpson knew what he was doing when he left Busted and that they know exactly where they are going.
In September 2006, the band ended their contract with Island Records. Charlie Simpson said that "they wanted a pop album and we didn't. I've put so much into this band I don't want to start compromising now. We're thinking about going to America. The market for our stuff is much bigger over there."
In September 2007, the band released their second LP entitled 'One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours' under Institute Records. '99' was released as a free-to-download single, along with it's video on the 11th May 2007. Their next single to be released was 'We Apologise For Nothing' which had minor chart success peaking at #63 on the UK singles chart and at #1 on the UK Independant Chart.
'Deathcar' was the third song to be released as a single from the album. It was released on the new VinylDisc format and was also available for download. 'Floods' has also been released from this album.
In Autumn 2008, Alternate Endings was released, providing it's audience with b-sides, acoustic performances and covers.
The band's third studio album, Be Human, was released on April 19th 2009 and reached number 20 in the UK Album Chart. Four singles were released from the album; The English Way (3 Nov 2008), Mercury Summer (6 April 2009), Never Change (20 July 2009) and A City on Fire (21 Dec 2009). They experimented with orchestral elements and received critical acclaim for their work.
The band announced they were "taking some time off" for the remainder of 2010/11 to work on separate projects before regrouping in 2012 to begin writing a new record. A new record, however, did not eventuate. In the time away from the band, Westaway and Haigh worked on a music project titled 'Gunship,' an entity focused on making music for film. The duo completed production on a film project with Philip Koch of Lucas Film. Westaway and Haigh also completed the score for Grzegorz Jonkajtys short film The 3rd Letter along with Audrey Riley. The film picked up several awards from various film festivals across the world.
Simpson began work on a solo album in 2010. He released his EP, When We Were Lions, through Pledge Music, an organisation that helps artists raise money to record music from their fans. His debut album, Young Pilgrim, was released in August 2011. Simpson stated Fightstar would record an album again, but he planned to record a second solo album first, while Westaway and Haigh worked on their Gunship project.
In an interview with Digital spy in December 2012, Charlie Simpson confirmed his current plans to finish writing and record a second solo album in February 2013. Following an intended US release and tour in the summer of 2013 in support of this new solo record, he had then planned for Fightstar to reunite and begin writing for the band's fourth album.
September 2014 saw the band's Facebook profile updated with a new default picture and cover photo; both of which featured Fightstar artwork within an 'X' shape. On September 25, the band's official website was updated to include a countdown timer accompanied by text that simply read "News..." The timer ended on October 13, 2014; with the announcement of a ten-year anniversary show at London's Forum. A statement from the band followed: "It has been 10 years since the inception of this band and we wanted to celebrate it with a bang. We want to thank you all for your love and support over the past ten years and we can't wait to commemorate this milestone with you guys."
The Message
Fightstar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To save ourselves
Tonight I'll fight and friends will stand here
And die with us
Halo, you mean nothing to me
Angel, you mean nothing to me
Then you are the machine
If I am the message
Then you are the machine
We'll wear our scars above our arms
And covered up
Should we keep this open ending
Just for us
Halo, you mean nothing to me
Angel, you mean nothing to me
If I am the message
Then you are the machine
If I am the message
Then you are the machine
Just take a look at yourself
You see reflections in all of your impurities
The taste, the taste of a burnt tongue
If I am the message
Then you are the machine
If I am the message
Then you are the machine
You mean nothing to me
You mean nothing to me
The lyrics in Fightstar's song "I Am The Message" express the idea of standing up for one's beliefs and virtues, even if it means facing danger or death. The first verse talks about taking up their virtues as weapons to save themselves, with friends standing by their side, ready to fight and die with them. The chorus, with the lines "If I am the message, then you are the machine", suggests that individuals have the power to spread messages and ideas, but they need to recognize that they are part of a bigger system and can use that system to their advantage.
The second verse talks about wearing scars on their arms, indicating that they have been through struggles in the past and are not afraid to show it. The song also brings up the idea of keeping an open ending for themselves, suggesting that they may not reveal everything they know or feel to others. The bridge of the song brings up the idea of self-reflection, with the line "Just take a look at yourself, you see reflections in all of your impurities", suggesting that individuals need to examine themselves and their flaws if they want to make a difference in the world.
Overall, "I Am The Message" is a powerful song that encourages listeners to stand up for their beliefs and recognize their own power within the system. It reinforces the idea that change is possible, but it starts with the individual.
Line by Line Meaning
We'll take our virtues up in arms
We will fight for what we believe in.
To save ourselves
We are fighting to save our own lives.
Tonight I'll fight and friends will stand here
We are fighting together with our friends.
And die with us
Our friends are willing to die for the cause.
Halo, you mean nothing to me
The artist is not impressed by a religious symbol.
Angel, you mean nothing to me
The singer is not impressed by a religious symbol.
If I am the message
The singer is saying they are representing an idea or belief.
Then you are the machine
The listener is being compared to an automated system that doesn't think for itself.
We'll wear our scars above our arms
We are proud of the scars we have earned.
And covered up
We don't need to flaunt our scars, they are a symbol of what we have been through.
Should we keep this open ending
We are questioning whether or not to make this public or to keep it within our group.
Just for us
We want to keep this between ourselves.
You mean nothing to me
The singer is putting emphasis on the idea that the listener doesn't matter.
Just take a look at yourself
The singer is urging the listener to understand their own flaws.
You see reflections in all of your impurities
The singer is suggesting that the listener is seeing their own negative qualities in others.
The taste, the taste of a burnt tongue
The artist is saying that the listener will have to face the consequences of their actions.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALEXANDER WESTAWAY, CHARLES ROBERT SIMPSON, DANIEL HAIGH, OMAR ABIDI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Goku Schäfer
2021 - Fightstar - Still one of the most underrated bands ever
ruby
Ahhhh I remember first listening to these guys back in 2006 and instantly loving them! Couldn't believe how attractive they were when I looked them up a while later too ;D Six years later and they're still my favourite band! Amazing dudes.
Daniel Cáceres
2020??
Im from Peru and dont remember how did I get to listen this far-away rock band, but it was just amazing
Sophia King
I miss Fightstar! ♡
Hiba A
this song and video is so so so nostalgic
joperhop
I know its said about busted in like every vid of fightstars, but leaving busted and being apart of fightstar was the best thing he did. So much better :D awesome emo songs.
AkeelaPyro
1. I love how a couple of the band members just kinda rock out with ponytails. xD. And pull it off. 2. That one guy.... in the shopping cart.... Just like "What the hell" but awesome. xD 3. What the hell was with that bitch slap fight?! Fucking love these guys, this is amusing.
Sam Core
Amazing.
happyfred3
@joperhop You might have a point if you were talking about Emocore because it emerged from punk in the mid 80's and the only way to distinguish it was through lyrics, but modern Emo is quite distinctively different and has become a genre of its own, just look at My Chem, Saosin, Jimmy Eat World and Senses Fail. Fightstar cannot be Emo through emotion because they are not an 80s punk band, furthermore, Fightstar classify THEMSELVES as Post-hardcore / Alternative rock / Symphonic rock.
JBieberRulesxx
i only started listening to this because of charlie, but i admit i actually quite like this!