alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

Fightstar 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 c ...

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

PIAS Recordings PIAS Recordings (formerly Play It Again Sam) is a Belgian record label founded in 1983 by Kenny Gates and Michel Lambot. Play It Again Sam expanded along with other European independent labels in the early 1980s. Play It Again Sam's prominent ea ...

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Air Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

The English Way "The English Way" was the first single to be taken from Fightstar's third studio album, ''Be Human (album), Be Human''. It was released on 3 November 2008.Mercury Summer" prior to the album's release. Drawing praise from many critics, the album entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

at number 20, making it their highest charting album to date. The

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

digital download includes a

bonus track An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records coll ...

which is an acoustic version of "Unfamiliar Ceilings", the final track on the band's previous studio album, performed with former XFM presenter Katie P. A deluxe edition was later

re-release In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Reco ...

d on 1 March 2010, including four newly recorded tracks, a DVD of the band's live

unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

performance at the Picturedrome Theatre in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, new cover art and also a revised track listing.

Background, writing and recording

The band first mentioned that they were working on new material back in March 2008. They confirmed that after completing their tour with

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

, they would begin writing during the summer and would be posting updates for fans with video diaries from the studio. Recording took place, for the most part, at Treehouse Studios in

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, the personal studio of co-producer and friend, Carl Bown. Drum tracks for the album were recorded at Steelworks Studios in Sheffield, and split between Omar and Charlie due to Omar suffering from a broken wrist. Recording sessions began in August 2008, and were due to finish in November. The band's vocalist, guitarist and songwriter

Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...

confirmed tentative working titles as "War Machine", "English Way" and "Mercury Summer". He mentioned the former would have a distinct "

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

" feel to it with heavy string sections. After the bulk of recording had been completed, the band went to

Air Studios Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producer Sir George Martin and his business partner John Burgess, after their departure from Parlophone. The studio complex was founded ...

(where

film scores A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

for ''

Pirates of the Caribbean ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...

'' and ''

Batman Begins ''Batman Begins'' is a 2005 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and written by Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, with Michael Caine, Liam ...

'' had been composed) to record the string sections with Audrey Riley. Simpson later commented that "it was great to bring that element, that classical side, into it. It adds so much." Leading up to the album's release, the band indicated that the sound would be "quite different" to their earlier material with the inclusion of orchestral and choral parts. Despite this, it was noted that it would still remain "Fightstar", with their trademark dark and heavy elements. The band also regarded the lyrical content as their "most positive" to date and were pleased that the finished product was "everything we wanted".

Promotion and release

The first single from the album was "

The English Way "The English Way" was the first single to be taken from Fightstar's third studio album, ''Be Human (album), Be Human''. It was released on 3 November 2008. The CD single had a demo titled "Colours Bleed", which had its name changed to "Colours Bleed to Red" for the release of the album. " Mercury Summer" was made available for streaming on 17 February 2009. The video for the second single, "Mercury Summer", premiered on 25 February, whilst the physical CD single release was on 6 April. The song further showcased a more experimental direction, with a more upbeat and melodic sound than found in older material. In a live web chat with fans on the official Fightstar forum on 9 April 2009, the band confirmed that the next single is expected to be " Never Change". Throughout April, the band went on a UK tour with

In Case of Fire In Case of Fire are an alternative rock band from Portadown, Northern Ireland, who formed in 2005. The band officially disbanded on 1 October 2012, and then reunited in March 2016. The original line-up consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist St ...

and Laruso. ''Be Human'' was released on 20 April. The band shot the video for "Never Change" on 3 May, as the band confirmed at their gig in Exeter Lemon Grove on 4 May. It was released on 20 July 2009, with the band working alongside the same directors for the video as they did with "Mercury Summer". They appeared at the

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Festiv ...

in August 2009.

Deluxe edition

The band confirmed in late 2009 that ''Be Human'' would be

re-released In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions. Reasons for reissue New audio formats Re ...

as a deluxe version containing four or five new songs. One of the new songs could be a cover version of

Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks-Thomas (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame in 2007 after winning the sixth season of ''American Idol'' at age 17, becoming the youngest winner in the series' history. Her self-titled debu ...

' "

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troops ...

", which the band performed informally earlier in the year in the

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cotton ...

. The cover was met with great approval and Sparks herself said on radio that she was a fan of Fightstar and believed they should cover the song. On 12 October the band posted pictures on their Myspace site from their latest music video shoot for new song " A City on Fire". The song subsequently was played for the first time during

Fearne Cotton Fearne Wood ( Cotton; born 3 September 1981) is an English broadcaster and author''.'' She began her career in the late 1990s presenting various children's television shows for GMTV, CITV and CBBC. In 2007, she presented '' The Xtra Factor'', ...

's show on Radio 1 on 19 October and the official video premiered on the band's MySpace on 24 October, which was directed by the team at Sitcom Soldiers. The single was released as a digital download on 20 December, while the band have since confirmed the deluxe re-release of ''Be Human'' will be available in February 2010. On 13 January, guitarist Alex Westaway posted an update on the band's official website. He confirmed that the deluxe re-release is scheduled for release on or around 1 March 2010. He also confirmed he had personally designed new artwork for the repackaging and that a live DVD would also be included. The band's

unplugged Unplugged may refer to: *Acoustic music, music not produced through electronic means * "Unplugged" (B.A.P song), 2014 * "Unplugged" (''Modern Family''), a 2010 episode of ''Modern Family'' Albums and EPs * ''Unplugged'' (5'nizza album), 2002 * '' ...

performance was shot in December 2009 at the Picturedome in

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

(Westaway's home town). The DVD also includes the

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for "The English Way", "Mercury Summer", "Never Change" and "A City on Fire". The four newly recorded tracks were confirmed as, "A City on Fire", "Its Blood Is Black", "28k Resolution" and "Mvua Nyeusi", with the whole track listing re-organised.

Critical reception

The album was met with positive critical response upon its release, with many reviews praising the band for experimenting with the orchestration elements and ultimately, expanding their sound as a whole. Anton Djamoos of

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to fea ...

rated the album 84% and stated that it's time for the US to "finally take notice of Fightstar". Commenting on the band's progression, he stated; "''Be Human'' is a departure from the general body of work we've seen in the past from the band. They break from their own norm with several orchestral elements to make the album sound more full and let the music hit even harder; they're pushing their creative boundaries and it works for the most part". He also added that Fightstar "is poised to finally see some long-overdue respect".

In the News ''In the News'' is an American series of two-minute televised video segments that summarized topical news stories for children and pre-teens. The segments were broadcast in the United States on the CBS television network from 1971 until 1986, b ...

writer Lewis Bazley was highly favourable in his review and awarded a score of 9/10. He described the album as, "Bold, grandiose - a career high". He also stated the album would have huge reply value and summarised his review by adding; "With Fightstar having released this LP themselves and the aforementioned orchestra appearing on almost every track, it's a 50-minute statement of intent, a dozen songs in which the four-piece declare 'this is the band we've always wanted to be'. From the opening, orchestral burst of 'Calling on All Stations', the Death Cab-meets-

Cure A cure is a substance or procedure that ends a medical condition, such as a medication, a surgical operation, a change in lifestyle or even a philosophical mindset that helps end a person's sufferings; or the state of being healed, or cured. The ...

emotional theatrics of 'Give Me the Sky' and the mournful movie script ending of 'Follow Me into the Darkness', immersing yourself in the bipolar world of ''Be Human'' is an exhilarating, sometimes heartstopping journey to revisit for years to come". Emma Johnston, a critic for British rock magazine ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'', awarded the album an "excellent" four K rating and commented the band had "created a huge-hearted, earnest, wonderfully over the top album". She was particularly impressed with the variety offered on the record; "''Be Human'' is a record glorying in its own bombast, as Fightstar throw as many orchestral and choral flourishes as their muscular, solemnly heavy rock as it could take without drowning". Victoria Durham of ''

Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...

'' stated, "By now, we know that Fightstar are capable of great things and they're back in business, with nothing less than Hollywood movie scores in their sights". Awarding the album 8/10, she made comparisons with

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, composed of Simon Neil (guitar, lead vocals), James Johnston (bass, vocals), and Ben Johnston (drums, vocals). Currently signed to 14th Floor Records, they have r ...

and

Silverchair Silverchair were an Australian Rock music, rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Newcastle, New South Wales, with Ben Gillies on drums, Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars, and Chris Joannou on bass guitar. The group got thei ...

whilst complimenting the broad range found among the songs; "If 'Chemical Blood' and 'Damocles' are the pummelling rock epics, then 'Tonight We Burn' and 'Give Me The Sky' are the experimental, pop-fuelled gems. Fightstar have always been ambitious; now they’re on their way to becoming truly brilliant". Matt Mason of ''Q'' magazine, while awarding the album an "excellent" four star review, wrote, "''be huma''n reveals itself to be a more complex – and captivating – creature. Bold juxtapositioning of operatic arrangements, electronic interludes and juddering hardcore riffs." Craig Broad of God Is in the TV noted that his first impressions of the album were, "how grandiose it actually is." Awarding four stars, he praised the band for expanding their sound; "''Be Human'', ultimately, is a band comfortable with their abilities but pushing and evolving to become something more. Let's just hope that they continue to push on and be one of bright stars of British alternative music." Jared Ponton of

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

, writing a review on the deluxe edition, said that the re-release, "actually improves on an already-excellent album." Awarding a "superb" 4.5 out of five rating, he also added, "Unlike many bands that have shot for that sense of cinematic urgency and "epic" undertones for their music in the past, ''Be Human'' saw Fightstar largely succeeding, by shining a beam of new light on the premises of the band's unique, post-hardcore sound."

Track listing

All lyrics written by

Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...

and

Alex Westaway Alex Westaway (born 1983) is the lead vocalist of Gunship and co-vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Fightstar alongside Charlie Simpson, Omar Abidi and Dan Haigh. Early life Westaway was born and raised in Northamptonshire and attended ...

; music composed by

Fightstar 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 c ...

.

B-sides

*"Colours Bleed" (Demo) *"Drown" *"

Hide and Seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

" (

Imogen Heap Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music. Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at ...

cover) *"Athea" *"We Left Tracks of Fire" *"A Short History of the World" *"

These Days These Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below) ** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album * ''These Days'' (Crystal Gayle album), 1980 * ''These ...

" (

Jackson Browne Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States. Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...

cover) *"

Vincent Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer''). People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor *Vincent van Gogh ...

" (

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

cover)

Personnel

Adapted from the ''Be Human'' album credits. Fightstar *

Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, drums,

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

*

Alex Westaway Alex Westaway (born 1983) is the lead vocalist of Gunship and co-vocalist and guitarist of the rock band Fightstar alongside Charlie Simpson, Omar Abidi and Dan Haigh. Early life Westaway was born and raised in Northamptonshire and attended ...

– lead guitar, vocals, lyrics *

Dan Haigh Dan Haigh (born 5 December 1980) 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. ...

– bass guitar, design * Omar Abidi – drums, percussion ;Additional musicians * Audrey Riley – conductor,

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

*Joeri de Vente –

french horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

*Rowland Sutherland –

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

,

alto flute The alto flute is an instrument in the Western concert flute family, the second-highest member below the standard C flute after the uncommon flûte d'amour. It is the third most common member of its family after the standard C flute and the ...

*Christian Forshaw –

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

,

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

± other orchestra members not credited ;Choir *Caius Fitzgerald *Luke Bowen *Andrew Armstrong *Josh Rees-Jones *

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

Chamber Choir A chamber choir is a small or medium-sized choir of roughly 8 to 40 singers (occasionally called 'chamber singers'), typically singing classical or religious music in a concert setting. (This is distinct from e.g. a church choir, which sings in rel ...

;Production * Carl Bown – producer,

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, mixing * Fightstar – co-production * Jim Pinder –

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

assistance * John Davies – mastering * Ryohei Hase –

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

* Tristan Lillingston – A&R

Charts

Accolades

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2009 albums Fightstar albums PIAS Recordings albums Search and Destroy Records albums