Fightstar Leave Island Records

Fightstar have reportedly decided to leave Island Records after they were instructed to make their next record sound more like conventional pop music, reports Digitalspy.

Despite initially struggling to be taken seriously, the band have been gradually building a fan base and were nominated for their first Kerrang! Award this year, but record company executives seemingly wanted their music to be more in the vein of frontman Charlie Simpson's former group Busted.

Simpson told Contactmusic: "Earlier this week we decided to tear up the contract. 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."

The guitarist added: "We're thinking about going to America. The market for our stuff is much bigger over there."

In other news, Simpson and Alex Westaway of Fightstar will play live at this week's GarageBand event in London, presented by Square Group, Apple and Gibson Guitars.

The rock and roll GarageBand lear-in takes place on September 20 at the Gibson Building, 29-35 Rathbone Street, London beginning at 6.30pm. Attendees will learn how to compose, record, mix and share music and podcasts with Apple's GarageBand software.

For more information, go over here.

Comments

[dertjoe]

wow that sucks their actually a really good band

[fuzzle3]

Great band :] can't wait to see them in october

[[O]uT|aW]

i think they're pretty ok too

but i really wanna see how the people react/think in the comments board for this article..

[kryptonite22]

haha i was all for respecting him for not compromising, because thats great, but then i read 'we're thinking of going to america, the market's bigger over there'.

[nehpets5555]

fair oplay i i was told make your songs more poppy i be outa that label before he'd finish d sentence

[mattyadams]

I agree, fair play to them. I love their style of music, how can you ask any band to go pop? Did they honestly think they would do it?

[trivial]

Don't go to america and forget us lot in the UK. Stupid labels I bet they did just to get them of the lable.

[Kaney]

Respect to them. Theyve worked too hard to throw it all away and give in to industry pressure.

[feesk8ordie]

No, I'm sorry. Anything he does will be overshadowed by the fact he was in Busted. I mean, perhpas if Fightstar were as original and good as Mastodon or Sikth, then fair enough, but they're not. They're just a very standard post-hardcore band.

[13 Black]

Good on him for not comprimising, but i still don't like their music.

[imthehitcher]

lol im glad he didnt compromise his musical integrity but i still cant take him seriously;
he was in busted and look at those massive eyebrows, its like 2 beavers sittin on his face

but yes even ignoring those facts fi still dont like fightstart that much a very mediocre band

[MKheafy]

those frikin record labels hey? , fightstar r okay and its certainli better then alot of other music in this world lol.. atleast they declined

[smythal]

I reckon record labels shouldnt do things like that. Basically, all theyre in it for is for the money. Simple - Bands sell records, corporate swines get more money. Music shouldnt be like that, and although I'm not a fan of Fightstar or their music, much, I totally agree with them for leaving the label.

[numetalhead:D]

i think fightstar have done the right thing in leaving island records. i personally hate pop music - it just doesn't mix with metal. and i think it's disgusting fightstar were told to make music that they don't want to do. no other band should be either - not just by island, but by all record labels too. it's just not fair.

[haz_uk]

[quotehaha i was all for respecting him for not compromising, because thats great, but then i read 'we're thinking of going to america, the market's bigger over there'.[/quote]

i don't think you understand what he meant by that.

[fuzzle3]

They're not going to America, go to their myspace and read the latest blog. They're only going to America to tour and promote the album.

[nirvanafan11111]

hmm they play a bland style of emo/punkish metalcore, however ive seen this band live 3 times and they have played through bottles and boo's theyre getting their dues!

[HarrySound]

Respect to charlie for playing through the bottles and all the bad stuff.I know...I was there watching it happen.

Respect to all of you lot also for the mature comments on this band who have a very shaky image.
I think there OK too for the record.

[Aidy Damage]

My already high respect for Charlie's just gone uo a notch. Great move there!

My band play music similar to Fightstar, and we're looking to go play in America too... strange!

[rockinlewis]

at least they said no.... unlike lostprophets for example

[im not okay]

'Its what i go to school for' since those words came out of that fuzzy eye browd freaks mouth I could never take him seriously.

[madefortvmovie]

this is the second time ive heard of Island doing something like this...

A band from Memphis called Egypt Central had a lot of trouble with Island, so they too tore up their contract and decided to release their first album independently

[Torico]

It's hard to break that shadow of being hired for a good looking boyband.

[smb]

I saw them live for one or two songs - had my girlfriend on my shoulders. She just wanted to tell her friends she'd seen them - we were at Reading to see Death From Above 1979 and Queens of the Stone Age.

[kryptonite22]

haz_uk wrote:

[quotehaha i was all for respecting him for not compromising, because thats great, but then i read 'we're thinking of going to america, the market's bigger over there'.

i don't think you understand what he meant by that.[/quote]I understand perfectly. He meant that if he went to America then the kids would lap up his band's bland and unoriginal slightly post-hardcore-ish stylings. I don't like it when people see things as 'markets'.

[Panny180]

Yeah, you understand, but only at the level of a 14 year old Nirvana fan (Don't care if i get burned). If you don't think of a musical audiaence as a market, you ain't going to sell many albums, or make money.
And is selling albums and making money a bad thing?
No sir.

[Panny180]

By the way, I'm, not defending them at all, I think they're as bland as you can get. At least busted had a personality, jesus christ.

[tommyt]

Sorry Kryptonite22, you might not like it when people see things as markets, but its called the music business for a reason lol. i say good for them, they chose not to compromise for more money, theres a big difference between going somewhere your style is more popular and changing your style to suit a "market"

[clazz]

kryptonite22 - at the end of the day, it is a market. I don't really see it as a derogatory term in music anyway. It's just another way of saying 'audience', pretty much. If you want to sell records, you've got to get your music known by the right people. Just because they don't want to release a pop album doesn't mean they don't want to sell records. All bands want to sell records, but some don't want to release records they're not proud of. Some, of course, would probably go along with what the record company says just because there would be a lot more money involved. I think it's great that Fightstar are sticking to their guns and refusing to abide by the rules of their record company that they don't agree with. It shows that they're serious about what they want to do. Not that many bands would do that.

[Archetype00]

who the hell is fightstar?

[tydhurst]

He knowingly made whatever name he has for himself by playing the pop music he's pretending to be against now, then complains when it backfires on him. I smell a publicity stunt. If it wasn't for his time in Busted there's no way such a mediocre band like Fightstar would ever have got a major record deal. Now he's acting as if he's all cool and "Rock and roll2 all of a sudden!

[el_deano]

Archetype00 :
who the hell is fightstar?

In a word, hilarious. The Simpsonator was born and bred for pop music, should reform Busted and hire that fat guy as drummer. At least we'll see entertaining shows from them, with a beer-drinking bassist and all that.

On a serious note, fairplay to El Simpsonator-o. Takes some will poewr to do that sort of thing. I don't like the music they make, appeals to a lot of wannabe Emos, and is all played with Drop-C guitars, but at least they want to continue making music that appeals to them.

[METSOAD]

Panny180 wrote:

By the way, I'm, not defending them at all, I think they're as bland as you can get. At least busted had a personality, jesus christ.

Busted had about as much personality as a lard sandwich, yes Fightstar are EMO but at least they are trying to keep themselves honest, decent and (IMO) a very good band

[Magic Noden]

Don't like them, but I'm glad they didn't compromise for the record company. Having said that, it's true that they are now probably use it as an excuse to go to America, and sell hundreds of CD's to little stick thin plastic copies.

[flea878]

Yea i think when simpson was talking about the 'market' in america, i think he just meant theres more of an audience for the music he and fightstar want to make, so he doesnt have to compromise himself over there. I could be wrong though of course.
I actually quite like fightstar, they definitely aren't the most original band on the earth but i think they write decent post-hardcore songs. I hated busted, but i can look past that and take fightstar seriously. We've all done things in the past we regret im sure

[animald]

What makes me laugh is that he has been in Fightstar longer than Busted. They released 2 albums??? Fightstar now released their fourth album with a few EP's behind their belt. It really annoys me that people still call him 'Charlie from Busted' when really he is 'Charlie from Fightstar'. Even so, who cares anyway? I couldn't care less, they still make good music

[Higgzy]

Sooo bring out the deathcar and we'll driveeeee tonight.

Umm, yeah fair play lol.