London-based post-hardcore outfit Fightstar came to life in the mid-2000s when guitarist/vocalist Charlie Simpson was actually still a member of the U.K. pop trio Busted. Itching to tap more fully into his rock side, a random jam at a party soon turned into Simpson writing and playing songs on the side with guitarist Al Westaway and drummer Omar Abdid. Realising they needed a bass player to enter the studio, a schoolmate of Westaway's, Dan Haigh, soon joined Fightstar's ranks. The guys began making a name for themselves around England, both playing the Reading and Leeds Festival and releasing their Island debut EP, They Liked You Better When You Were Dead, in summer 2005. Signing with U.S.-based indie Deep Elm in September, the label re-released their EP stateside the following April as their full-length, Grand Unification, dropped back at home. The album, produced by Colin Richardson (Funeral for a Friend, Machine Head), expanded on their prior effort while exploring darker themes.