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Gunship | |
|---|---|
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Synthwave |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | Horsie in the Hedge |
| Members | Alex Westaway Dan Haigh Alex Gingell |
| Website | gunshipmusic |
Gunship is a British synthwave band formed in 2014 by Dan Haigh and Alex Westaway; they were later joined by drummer Alex Gingell. [1]
After Westaway and Haigh's other musical act, Fightstar, went on hiatus in 2010, the pair decided to focus on other musical ventures, including forming Gunship, eventually joined by Gingell. Their debut release, self-titled Gunship, was released in 2015 to positive reviews. Their follow up, Dark All Day, was released on 5 October 2018.
In 2019, Gunship appeared in the documentary film The Rise of the Synths, which explored the origins and growth of the Synthwave genre. Westaway, Haigh and Gingell appeared alongside various other composers from the scene, including John Carpenter, who also starred in and narrated the film.
In May 2021, tattoo artist and model Kat Von D collaborated with Haigh on her debut album, Love Made Me Do It. [2]
On 10 July 2023 the band announced their third studio album titled Unicorn. The album was released on 29 September 2023. [3]
Gunship has a large collection of synthesizers, including the Juno 106, DSI Prophet 12, DSI Prophet 6, MOOG Minimoog, MOOG Mother 32, and various Oberheim units. [4]
"The Video Game Champion" is a collaboration with the guitarist Thomas McRocklin, while "Ghost" is a collaboration with Melbourne synthwave duo Power Glove. The single "Monster in Paradise" features saxophonist Tim Cappello and vocals from Milkie Way, lead singer of Wargasm. A full list of collaborators on each album follows.
The first Gunship album featured collaborations with: [4]
The second Gunship album featured collaborations with:
The third Gunship album featured collaborations with:
Studio albums
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [7] | UK Dance [7] | UK Indie [7] | FIN [8] | GER [9] | SCO [7] [10] | US [11] | US Dance [12] | US Heat [13] | US Indie [14] | ||
| Gunship | 2015 | — | 30 [15] | 40 [16] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dark All Day | 2018 | 34 | 1 [17] | 6 [18] | — | — | 19 | 184 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| Unicorn | 2023 | 26 | — | — | 49 | 36 | 16 | — | — | — | — |
Collaborations and other releases
Busted are an English pop-punk band from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, consisting of James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson. Formed in 2000, the band has had four UK number-one singles, won two Brit Awards, released four studio albums and sold over 5 million records worldwide. The band released the albums Busted in 2002 and A Present for Everyone in 2003 before disbanding in January 2005.
Charles Robert Simpson, known professionally as Charlie Simpson, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician from Suffolk. He is a member of the BRIT Award winning pop-punk band Busted and he is also lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist in the post-hardcore band Fightstar. AllMusic has noted that Simpson is "perhaps the only pop star to make the convincing transition from fresh-faced boy bander to authentic hard rock frontman". Simpson is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and drums.
Fightstar are a British rock band from London that formed in 2003. The band is composed of lead vocalist, guitarist and keyboardist Charlie Simpson, guitarist and co-vocalist Alex Westaway, bassist Dan Haigh and drummer Omar Abidi. Generally considered a post-hardcore band as a whole, Fightstar are known to incorporate metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound.Their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was released in 2005 and was a critical success.
They Liked You Better When You Were Dead is the debut EP by English rock band Fightstar, released on 28 February 2005 through Sandwich Leg Records. The release proved a critical success, in spite of the cynics' initial expectations of the band. It has been said that the EP helped "present Fightstar as a British rival to the East Coast alternative rock scene". Alex Westaway, the band's lead guitarist and co-lyricist drew the artwork based on Edward Norton for the inlay of the booklet, as the record was inspired by author Chuck Palahniuk and the film adaptation Fight Club.
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Dan Haigh is an English musician, film director, video game designer, writer and visual effects artist. He is best known as co-founder of synthwave band Gunship and as the bass player in the English rock band Fightstar.
Tim Cappello, also credited as Timmy Cappello, is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist. He is primarily known for his saxophone work supporting Tina Turner in the 1980s and 90s, as well as for his musical performance in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys.
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Be Human is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Fightstar, released on 20 April 2009 through independent label Search and Destroy Records, itself distributed by PIAS Recordings. The album was recorded between August and December 2008 in Chesterfield and London, with the band co-producing alongside Laruso guitarist Carl Bown. Additional recording took place Air Studios with string composer Audrey Riley. Unlike their first two studio releases, Daniel Conway did not contribute to the album's artwork, instead the band approached Ryohei Hase who digitally painted the cover art.
"Never Change" is the third single to be taken from Fightstar's third studio album, Be Human, and was released on 20 July 2009.
Alex Westaway is an English musician. He is the lead vocalist of Gunship and co-vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Fightstar alongside Charlie Simpson, Omar Abidi and Dan Haigh.
"A City on Fire" is a song by English post-hardcore band Fightstar, released 20 December 2009, on Search and Destroy Records as a digital download only.
Synthwave is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn from the decade's art and video games. Synthwave musicians often espouse nostalgia for 1980s culture and attempt to capture the era's atmosphere and celebrate it.
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The Midnight is an American synthwave band composed of Atlanta-based singer-songwriter Tyler Lyle and Los Angeles–based Danish-born producer, songwriter, and singer Tim McEwan.
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John Cody Carpenter is an American musician and composer. He is the son of film director John Carpenter and actress Adrienne Barbeau. Carpenter is mostly known for his work with his godfather and musician Daniel Davies, as well as his various solo projects.
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