Gunship is a British
synthwave
Synthwave (also called outrun, retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn fr ...
band formed in 2014 by
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.
...
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 ...
; they were later joined by drummer Alex Gingell.
History
After Westaway and Haigh's other musical act,
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 ...
, went on hiatus in 2010, the pair decided to focus on other musical ventures, including forming Gunship, eventually joined by Gingell. Their debut release, self-titled ''Gunship'', was released in 2015 to positive reviews. Their follow up, ''Dark All Day'', was released 5 October 2018.
In 2019, Gunship appeared in the documentary film ''
The Rise of the Synths
''The Rise of the Synths'' ( es, La rebelión de los sintes) is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by Iván Castell and narrated by filmmaker and composer John Carpenter. The film explores the origins and growth of the electronic mus ...
,'' which explored the origins and growth of the Synthwave genre. Westaway, Haigh and Gingell appeared alongside various other composers from the scene, including
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
, who also starred in and narrated the film.
In May of 2021, tattoo artist and model
Kat Von D collaborated with Haigh on her debut album, ''Love Made Me Do It''.
Equipment and gear
Gunship has a large collection of synthesizers, including the
Juno 106
The Roland Juno-106 is a synthesizer released by Roland Corporation in February 1984.
Features
The Juno-106 is a polyphonic synthesizer with six voices. It is an analog synthesizer but with digitally controlled oscillators and chorus effects ...
,
DSI Prophet 12,
DSI Prophet 6, MOOG
Minimoog
The Minimoog is an analog synthesizer first manufactured by Moog Music between 1970 and 1981. Designed as a more affordable, portable version of the modular Moog synthesizer, it was the first synthesizer sold in retail stores. It was first popul ...
, MOOG Mother 32, and various
Oberheim
Oberheim is an American synthesizer manufacturer founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim.
History and products
Tom Oberheim founded the company in 1969, originally as a designer and contract manufacturer of electronic effects devices for Maestro (most ...
units.
Collaborators
''Gunship''
The first Gunship album featured collaborations with:
* Lou Hayter (
New Young Pony Club
NYPC (also known as New Young Pony Club) are an English electronic music band from London. The band was formed by Andy Spence and Tahita Bulmer in 2004. Their influences are predominantly post-punk and new wave artists.
Career Forming and sig ...
, Tomorrows World)
*
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
(director/composer)
*
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 F ...
(
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 ...
,
Busted)
*
Martin Grech
Martin Grech (born 14 November 1982) is an English singer, songwriter and musician from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Career
Grech released his debut album ''Open Heart Zoo'', produced by Andy Ross, in June 2002. He achieved critical acclaim f ...
* Stella Le Page was featured on 'Fly For Your Life'
''Dark All Day''
The second Gunship album featured collaborations with:
*
Tim Cappello (''
The Lost Boys
''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jeremia ...
'')
*
Richard K. Morgan (Author -
Altered Carbon
''Altered Carbon'' is a 2002 cyberpunk novel by the English writer Richard K. Morgan. Set in a future in which interstellar travel and relative immortality is facilitated by transferring consciousnesses between bodies ("sleeves"), it follows t ...
)
*
Kat Von D
*
Wil Wheaton
Richard William Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Gordie Lachance in the film ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'', Joey Trotta in '' ...
*
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
* Stella Le Page was featured on 'Art3mis & Parzival'
*
Una Healy
Una Theresa Imogene Healy (born 10 October 1981) is an Irish singer. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of five-piece girl group The Saturdays, who are signed to Fascination and Polydor Records. In 2006, she represented Ireland in the Eurovi ...
''The Video Game Champion'' (single)
The single featured a collaboration with the guitarist
Thomas McRocklin
Thomas McLaughlin (born September 20, 1979), better known by his stage name McRocklin, is an English guitar player, music producer and mastering engineer. He was the guitarist featured in Steve Vai's music video "The Audience is Listening" (19 ...
.
''Ghost'' (Single)
This single was a collaboration with
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
Synthwave
Synthwave (also called outrun, retrowave, or futuresynth) is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn fr ...
duo
Power_Glove_(band)
Power Glove is an Australian electronic music and synthwave duo from Melbourne, Victoria, named after the Nintendo Power Glove. They provided the soundtrack to the 1980s-influenced retro-futuristic video game '' Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'' (Ap ...
Members
*
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 ...
– vocals, multi-instruments
*
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.
...
– multi-instruments
*
Alex Gingell
Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis.
People
Multiple
* Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people
* Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...
– multi-instruments
Discography
Studio albums
Collaborations and other releases
* Collaborated with
Metrik
Tom Mundell, better known as Metrik, is an English electronic music producer from London. He has been releasing records since 2007 and currently is one of the top drum and bass producers in the world, with 650,000 monthly listeners on Spotify a ...
on the track "Electric Echo" (2016)
* Remixed a track for Lionface's ''No Hope State'' (2017)
* Collaborated with Lazerhawk on the track "Feel the Rush Tonight" (2017)
* Included the track "Vale of Shadows" on the album ''
Rise of the Synths EP2'' official companion album. (2017)
* Released the single "Art3mis & Parzival" (2018)
* Collaborated with
Tim Cappello and
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
for the single "Dark All Day" (2018), which features on their album of the same name.
* Included the track "Cthulhu" on the album ''Fangoria Presents: Hollydoom (Original Magazine Soundtrack)'' (2019)
*Collaborated with
Tyler Bates
Tyler Bates (born June 5, 1965) is an American musician, producer, and composer for film, television, and video game scores. Much of his work is in the action and horror film genres, with films like '' Dawn of the Dead, 300, Sucker Punch, Ha ...
and
Dave Lombardo
David Lombardo (born February 16, 1965) is a Cuban-American drummer, best known as a co-founding member of American thrash metal band Slayer. He is currently playing drums with Testament, Fantômas, Suicidal Tendencies, Dead Cross, Mr. Bungle ...
for "Berserker" on the
''Dark Nights: Death Metal'' Soundtrack
Remixes
The following artists have remixed Gunship songs:
*
Carpenter Brut
Franck Hueso, better known by his stage name Carpenter Brut, is a French darksynth artist from Poitiers, France. He has released three EPs, ''EP I'' (2012), ''EP II'' (2013) and ''EP III'' (2015) which were collected and released together as t ...
(Tech Noir)
* Makeup and Vanity Set (Black Sun on the Horizon)
* Miami Nights 1984 (Revel In Your Time)
*
Power Glove
The Power Glove is a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Power Glove gained public attention due to its early virtual reality mechanics and significant marketing. However, its two games did not sell well, as it was ...
(Dark All Day)
References
{{authority control
Synthwave groups
2014 establishments in the United Kingdom
British electronic music groups