Paul: Hey, please introduce yourself and your role in the band.
Omar: My Name is Omar Abidi, and I’m the Drummer!
Paul: The new single is out this week and has been played heavily on Radio 1. Do you have any expectations about where it may chart? Is getting in the charts important to you as a band?
Omar: The chart has never been that important to us, but it is a welcome bonus when we do feature in it! We just hope that it does the job of expanding our already dedicated fan-base!!
Paul: Did you approach the writing and recording of the new album differently to previous records?
Omar: The whole process was different this time around. We had no heavyweight producer and no massive budget, so we had to beg, steal and borrow to make this one happen which has made the finishing of it that much more triumphant!!
Paul: Have you seen your fanbase evolve and grow, well, grow up, over the years as people have moved on from ‘Fightstar, Charlie from Busted’s new band’ to ‘Fightstar the band in their own right’?
Omar: It has taken time, but we have seen people that have stuck with this band from day dot! The fan-base has changed a lot since the beginning too, we have such a wide demographic now, it’s sometimes hard to tell who they’re at the shows to see…
Paul: What’s better/worse – someone who downloads your music illegally but takes an active interest in the band and comes to shows or someone who buys the CD, listens to it once and then puts it on a shelf never to play it again? Are you worried about how the industry appears to be going with the death of the CD?
Omar: I think worrying about these things is what kills bands, the death of the CD is inevitable, just like the death of VHS or mainstream LP Vinyl. I think that the music industry is changing at such a pace you just need to be able to adapt. Personally, I’d go for the first guy. Downloads for free, but comes to shows and get involved with our band! Seeing a band live will never be destroyed!!!
Paul: You put a lot of effort into the total package when you release a CD – how important are things such as artwork to you as a band and as music fans?
Omar: We have always treated every aspect of our records with 100% quality control.. If it’s not up to standard you wont ever see it! we get really anal about everything, which also means that our management get really frustrated with us cause it takes 4 time as long to make a decision!!
Paul: I hear you’re working on an iPhone app to promote the band and the new record, how did that come about and what will it do?
Omar: Dan had a great idea to make an iPhone app to come out before the album to give our fans a taste of things to come on “be human”.. It’s called Spilt Milk, and you can download it from the Apple App Store from Monday. It will feature exclusive songs never before heard from the album and is such an addictive game!! check it out @ www.spiltmilkgame.com
Paul: I was reading your recent absolutepunk webchat and one of the band members described the new songs as ‘more towards the right’ and then poked fun at Gordon Brown. Do you see yourself as a politically motivated or socially aware band? Do you think the UK needs a change in government to get itself out of the mess it is currently in?
Omar: We are not a politically motivated band but yes we are definitely socially aware.. I cant speak for the others when it come to political beliefs, but i will speak purely for myself and say that i do not believe that there is a left or right anymore, not in mainstream politics anyway. I believe it to be a pantomime show, a kind of entertainment that keeps the people of our country believing that they are in control of our policies and political movements with elections and such, when in fact there are very rich and powerful people who dictate what happens to us! The mess was made by them so they could turn around be the heroes when they clean it all up… “In desperate times, we must take desperate measures”.. Lets just see what they come up with next hey?
Paul: Are you lined up for any festival appearances this summer?
Omar: Oh yes! We are playing Download Festival, 2000 Trees Festival, Rock AM Ring in Germany and will be confirming more in a few weeks!
Paul: You’ve always been good to UK bands selecting bands you love to tour with you. If you could choose any two or three UK bands to tour with you, who would you choose and why?
Omar: We’d love to tour with Muse, what an inspirational band!! Also, I’d love to tour with the Prodigy as their crowds are the toughest out there!!!
Paul: Any plans for a live CD/DVD or b-sides release?
Omar: We’ve been talking about this for quite a while, but so far it’s just talk.. Watch this space!
Paul: As Dan is originally from Grimsby, as I am, is he a Grimsby Town supporter? Are any of you particularly sporty or harboured ambitions to do something in that field if you weren’t musicians?
Omar: I have no idea to be honest, I’m sure he’s been to a couple of matches when he was younger! We all played sports at school, but i don’t think anyone had any dreams of playing for England!! hahaha.. I’d love to be a rally driver though!! one of my life long dreams!