Fightstar unperturbed by singles success

Fightstar have explained that they see the charts as an irrelevant yardstick of success, since the fans' support is much more important.

The band, fronted by former Busted singer Charlie Simpson, reached ninth place in the UK singles chart with their debut 'Paint Your Target' in June 2005. However, their chart fortunes have gradually slipped since then, with latest release 'Hazy Eyes' reaching number 47.

Far from disheartened, Simpson told Digital Spy: "It's not about the singles. Singles are pretty irrelevant to us [and] pretty irrelevant in music these days. If you look at the drop of sales of singles in the last ten years, it's ridiculous.

"For us it starts with us. If we're happy with the music, that's the most important thing, and then it goes to the fans, if they're happy with it that's awesome, and then the critics."

Fightstar have also fallen foul of censorship over their videos in the past, with 'Paint Your Target' meeting criticism for scenes of simulated explosions as children engage war games in a playground.

Citing this as an example of the deteriorating scope for creativity in the music industry, they explained: "It's a tough one, but at the end of the day I think we'll stick to our guns and keep cranking out what satisfies us artistically."