Returning for their first gig in over eight years tonight (22nd March), FIGHTSTAR have a lot to celebrate.

Words: Ali Shutler.

It's a month before Fightstar headline Wembley Arena to celebrate their 20th anniversary, and it's slowly dawning on them just how much there is left to do. The band haven't started rehearsals yet, but they have been revisiting their ferocious four-album back catalogue and sorting out things like lighting and sound. "Did you know Wembley Arena doesn't come with its own stage? You need to bring your own," says vocalist Charlie Simpson with a grin.

Right now, the mood is a mixture of "epic awesomeness and total ass-flickering dread", according to drummer Omar Abidi. "That mixture of excitement and nerves will push us to make something really special, though."

"It's the biggest show we've ever done by quite some stretch," adds Charlie. "There will be a lot less nerves when we're all in a room together, though." Which has always been the driving force for Fightstar.

The band first formed in 2003 while Charlie was still very much a part of Busted, a pop-punk group who pulled heavy influence from Blink-182 and Green Day but were still lumped in with pop groups like Sugababes, Atomic Kitten and Blue.

"There was no real ambition to Fightstar, other than make the music we wanted to make," explains Charlie, who first bonded with Omar and guitarist Alex Westaway over a shared love of Rage Against The Machine with mutual friend and bassist Dan Haigh getting involved shortly afterwards. "It was quite insular," continues Charlie, just four mates making music in a "shitty" rehearsal space in Clapham. "We were just doing it for our own enjoyment… and I don't think that's ever changed."

"It still felt like a liberation," adds Omar, with the band providing escapism and an emotional outlet for all involved. After playing a string of self-booked shows, Charlie quit Busted at the height of their fame to pursue Fightstar full-time. "That's when we started thinking about what we actually wanted to achieve. We didn't set out to do anything, but as time went on, our ambitions got grander. I always dreamed of playing the [2000 capacity] Astoria, and once you've done that, you just keep going," says Charlie. "First and foremost, though, it was about making records we loved."

Debut album 'Grand Unification' came in 2006, with 'One Day Son, This Will All Be Yours' released the following year. "I don't think people expected that much from us," says Charlie. "People have tried these extreme genre shifts before, and more often than not, they don't work out. I always believed this band would, though, because I genuinely believed in what we were doing. There was nothing fake about Fightstar and people connected with that." The band became a part of the snarling Britrock scene alongside the likes of Funeral For A Friend, Biffy Clyro and Bullet For My Valentine.