Charles Robert Simpson is an English singer, songwriter and musician from Suffolk. He is a member of the rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British 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. During the band's early days, they were viewed sceptically by critics because of Simpson's former pop career with Busted. Their live shows got a more positive reaction, and their 2005 debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, was a critical success.
Gut Records was a British independent record label, based in Maida Vale in London, England.
"Paint Your Target" is a song by English post-hardcore band Fightstar. It was released on 13 June 2005 as the lead single from their debut studio album, Grand Unification (2006). It charted at number nine in the United Kingdom. To 'paint your target' is a military expression which refers to identifying and marking a target so that it can be attacked by other forces.
"Behind Blue Eyes" is a song by English rock band the Who. It is the second single from the band's fifth album, Who's Next (1971), and was originally written by Pete Townshend for his Lifehouse project. The song is one of the Who's best-known recordings and has been covered by many artists, including Limp Bizkit.
"Fear of the Dark" is a song by British heavy metal band Iron Maiden. Written by Steve Harris, the band's bass player and primary songwriter, it serves as the title track to Iron Maiden's 1992 album Fear of the Dark.
Grand Unification is the debut studio album by British post-hardcore band Fightstar, released on 13 March 2006 through Island Records. Based upon the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Grand Unification was produced by Colin Richardson and is considered a concept album. The track "Lost Like Tears in Rain" contains the line "It's Neon Genesis" to support the band's interest in the anime series. The artwork, drawn digitally by Daniel Conway, also portrays scenes similar to that of the ruined cities in Evangelion. It is also thought to believe the cover has taken influence from the song "Grand Unification Part 2" as the lyric "hold my hand until the waves come" and the cover features two persons holding hands waiting for what appears to be a flood. The lyrics are themed around social commentary at the end of the world, while the album's title refers to the Human Instrumentality Project.
"Grand Unification Part 1" is the second single from the Fightstar album Grand Unification. There are two videos to this song. One of the videos is a mixture of Fightstar playing in a, what would seem to be some sort of cave or room, as well as scenes from Dragonball Z. The second video is the band playing in the same sort of cave/room but without the Dragonball Z scenes. It has since been revealed that the location used was the same as that used by The Prodigy in the controversial video for their song Firestarter, and this has been interpreted as a tribute on the part of Fightstar to The Prodigy.
"Waste a Moment" is the third single from the Fightstar album Grand Unification.
"She Drove Me to Daytime Television" is a song by Welsh post-hardcore band Funeral for a Friend. It was originally released on the band's EP Four Ways to Scream Your Name. The song also appeared on FFAF's debut LP, Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation.
One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours is the second studio album by British post-hardcore band Fightstar, released on 24 September 2007 through Institute Recordings, itself a subsidiary of independent label Gut Records. Recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Matt Wallace, the album debuted at number twenty seven on the UK Albums Chart and was preceded by the free downloadable single, "99" and first official single, "We Apologise for Nothing". As with the bands debut album, Daniel Conway digitally painted the albums artwork.
"We Apologise for Nothing" is the second single from the second album One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours, by Fightstar. It was released on 17 September 2007 on CD and two 7"s, and was accompanied by a music video.
"Floods" is the fourth single from Fightstar's second studio album, One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours. It was originally intended to be released as the second single, however this was changed to "We Apologise For Nothing" due to the recent floods in the UK at that time.
"Deathcar" is the third single from Fightstar's second album One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours, and was released on 3 December 2007.
Alternate Endings is a compilation album by English post-hardcore band Fightstar, released 11 August 2008 on Gut Records. It features previously unreleased material, b-sides, covers and live radio recordings from the previous four years.
"Waitin' for a Superman" is a song by The Flaming Lips, released as the second single taken from their 1999 album The Soft Bulletin, and reaching No. 73 in the UK Singles Chart.
"The English Way" was the first single to be taken from Fightstar's third studio album, Be Human. It was released on 3 November 2008.
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.
"Mercury Summer" is the second single from Fightstar's third studio album, Be Human. It was released on 6 April 2009.
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