Fightstar – They Liked You Better When You Were Dead Review

Monologuing about his career for TED’s YouTube channel in June 2020, actor Ethan Hawke deemed art to be sustenance material. Proceeding to give a full-hearted, animated breakdown of the myriad of ways in which artistic products are used by humanity, in the process articulating how the relationship is one of unbreakable symbiosis; great art made by human emotion, human emotion rationalised and validated by great art. Some fifteen years prior to Hawke’s taped musings, it-boy Charlie Simpson served himself up a banquet of creative soul food in the shape of Fightstar’s debut EP: They Liked You Better When You Were Dead. A showcase of the band’s stylistic diversity, it would prove to be a defining work, paving solid foundations for an impressive career that flew remarkably under the radar of most.

Fightstar being a means for Simpson, the ex-Busted man, to gain fulfilment from his musical endeavours, their debut is a highlight from Britain’s Noughties cycle of post-hardcore output. The lead track – Palahniuk’s Laughter – alone is enough to put the group at the forefront of the scene, brushing shoulders with the likes of Reuben and Hell is For Heroes. The edges of this EP may boast a roughness around them but if anything, that adds to the quality rather than detracts from it. Imperfect harmonies and average mixing work are unfruitful in their efforts at derailing the rollercoaster that is the 25-minute runtime of They Liked You Better When You Were Dead. It’s a fast-paced delight for the ears that distils all that’s great about the post-hardcore genre. Intense instrumentality and expressive lyricism.

Throughout their periods of activity, Fightstar can easily be characterised as being the sum of all their parts. A well-oiled machine with immense guitar work at the forefront, although it is hard to pick just one member of the unit that shines through most of all. Drummer, Omar Abidi and bassist Dan Haigh are granted portions of the limelight to display their talents, but for the overwhelming majority of these works, they’re drowned out by the monstrous wall of sound produced by Alex Westaway and Charlie Simpson’s playing. Their vocals might not be in perfect synchronisation at this stage, but their dynamic as lead and rhythm players are certainly reading from the same hymn sheet.

Each of the six tracks could be used as an example of their skill but the penultimate tune, Lost Like Tears in Rain, sounds like they put their best foot forward. Undeniably heavy, its guitar patterning is one that involuntarily commands a head nod, its role in the song to cushion the immense range of vocals laid down by the pivot of Westaway and Simpson. That frontman persona from Simpson saves a handful of moments. He was never able to break cleanly from the mainstream image he garnered from his time in Busted, and likely shackled what Fightstar could achieve. Often shunned by the die-hards of the alternative scene, but Simpson’s decision to leave the limelight in favour of creative freedom at the age of nineteen was one that took immense bravery. A gamble that ultimately returned a win.

Fightstar is an incredible band in the truest sense of the word, but it took until 2007’s One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours, for the band to cease being support acts to the Simpson show (no, not that one). They Liked You Better When You Were Dead is just a fraction of Simpson’s vocal abilities, but taking to the sound’s harsher demands like a duck to water. Those deep tones are far better suited to odes about longing than gushing over on Air Hostess, no matter how catchy that outpouring of lust may be. He’s sadly the rockstar that never was, in possession of a face-melting scream on top of that powerful clean voice, it’s a tragedy he never garnered the respect and credit he deserved. From anthemic rock to pure ballad They Liked You Better When You We’re Dead is not only an artist rediscovering pleasure in their craft, but it’s an attractive CV also – a confident, memorable introduction to a highly talented act.

A debut so tight and assured it can be considered in the same breath as Hybrid Theory where introductions are concerned, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead is a gem from a genre that soon became over-saturated. The pre-cursor to Grand Unification – an even more impressive first album – this EP is alternative music at its best. Emotionally charged and technically marvellous, it makes for a truly transportive listen.