Fightstar at the Roundhouse
Can rockers wear khaki shorts? They did when Fightstar took to the Roundhouse’s stage as part of the month-long iTunes Festival.
Other acts to appear at the Roundhouse this July include Bat For Lashes, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis and Kasabian, so the group will have to work hard to prove their mettle.
Fortunately, they had an enthusiastic audience on their side that whooped and moshed away as the group fired off song after song from their three studio albums and first EP.
What was immediately apparent about Fightstar was their earnestness. Frontman Charlie Simpson was at pains to thank both the audience for coming and iTunes for putting the group on. Their songs displayed plenty of vigour and aggression but none of the deftness and craft of groups like the Deftones and Fugazi. Songs such as The English Way and Mercury Summer were caught between trying to be experimental whilst sticking to the conventions of the genre.
Another part of the problem was that Simpson is not terribly charismatic as a frontman. He needs to relax and to remember that the audience are there for him and not the other way around.
As for the rest of the group, guitarist Alex Westaway was bending and gyrating like a polio victim struggling with his flies in front of a gaping latrine whilst Dan Haigh repeated the typical bassist tic of banging his head every time he changed note.
When Simpson demanded that the audience form the biggest ring and that everyone ‘lose their fucking heads’, they obeyed. But from up on high, the swirling vortex looked less like a swelling circumference of anger and more like a giant game of Ring a Ring o’ Roses.
There was some change of pace with the introduction of a piano on Flood and a brief hope of some kind of subtlety. But eight bars in and we were back to the turgid thrashing of before.
What’s interesting about Simpson in his present incarnation is that he quit his previous group, Busted, on account of them being too pop and too manufactured. But all through the gig, Simpson made reference to the fact that the concert was available for download and insisted that the audience were to thank the Apple Corporation for putting the series of concerts on. And as he said, ‘we’ve got some really great T-shirts at the back, check ‘em out,’ I was left to wonder if he simply swapped one method of enterprise for another.
iTunes Festival runs until July 31 at:
Roundhouse
Chalk Farm Road
NW1 8EH
Tel: 0844 482 8008
Image by Rankin
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Bit synical!… Was a blinding show!… They were humble too… Most enjoyable gig of the year so far for me…
R
When going to review a show, professionals tend to walk into the gig with no pre conceptions of whether they will or wont like the band playing. That way you wont be biased. Clearly, you didn’t like Fightstar to begin with, so what is the point in the review?? Everyone’s entitled to an opinon yes, but practically everything you’ve said – including the last paragraph – is completely inaccurate. How is promoting a gig, that you are playing the same as being in a chart pop band? It’s not.
Every band has merchandise…and even the most amazing bands including Deftones will say to a crowd “we have merch at the back”. It was an invalid point and a waste of review space really.
People complain that it should be about the MUSIC and not about image etc….yet you’ve basically spent half the review criticising fightstar as people (even though i’d bet my life you don’t know them as people).
If you think the crowd looked like they were doing Ring a Ring o’ Roses, I would of gladly given my place near the front for you to have a jolly old time, THEN id like to hear you repeat what you’ve said because I guarantee it’d be a different story.
Charlie leaving Busted should have nothing to do with this review as it is about the show that took place yesterday, not about past bands he has been in. I dont see you talking about previuos bands the other members have been in? You make it sounds as if its a bad thing for someone to appreciate being given the chance to play the Itunes festival….Fightstar are a humble band who appreciate all the opportunities given to them in their career, and I think its a great trait for a band of their status to have.
Fightstar are a band I have supported for the last 5 years, and they are the one band I could watch everyday of my life and not get bored. Their music appeals to so many people, and they are outstanding as a live band. If you don’t lik their music thats fine, but do not think its okay to criticise them as people or their ability to perform on stage.
And for the record…..rockers can wear whatever they want….coz they “just don’t give a shit”.
I don’t think Fightstar are the best band in the world but they gave a pretty good show and they deserved a sensible balanced review by someone who knows something about music and who can give a fair assessment. Sadly Mr Purves is a long way from home and urgently needs to start looking for another job – especially as puerile reviews reflect very badley on what is generally a pretty decent site.
I was there. It was awesome!! What is this dude on about. Was he really there?
I wasn’t at the Fightstar gig. I have never been to a Fightstar gig. I have never even heard their album. But please, take it from me, they are really rubbish.
Fair enough if you didn’t think that fightstar played well (even though they did). If you had made REAL justification about why you thought this then perhaps this so called review would have a point. But promoting merch is something that every band does. Go to any gig and they will all say about their merch because they want to bloody sell it. Its not a corporate pop thing, McFly will promote their merch yes but so will Deftones. That’s a really trivial thing to criticise fightstar on as it is nothing to do with the way they performed. Also, they probably HAD to mention about the downloading because otherwise Itunes wouldn’t be too happy as it was down to them that fightstar were even playing.
And I’m sure Fightstar just thought it was too hot for their skinny jeans and typical “rocker” clothes but I’m sure they’ll dress up for you the next time you get the pleasure to “review” them. Perhaps they’ll even stick some eyeliner on for you.
And on behalf of the crowd, I’d like to apologise about the unsatisfactory circle pit. Next time, we will have practiced so it is up to your standards.