Lostprophets | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | Lozt Prophetz (1997–1999) |
Origin | Pontypridd, Wales |
Genres | Alternative rock, alternative metal, post-hardcore, nu metal |
Years active | 1997–present |
Labels | Visible Noise, Sony Music |
Associated acts | Nine Inch Nails, Public Disturbance, The New Regime, The Blackout, L'Amour la Morgue, Angels & Airwaves |
Website | www.lostprophets.com |
Members | |
Ian Watkins Jamie Oliver Lee Gaze Mike Lewis Stuart Richardson Luke Johnson |
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Past members | |
DJ Stepzak Mike Chiplin Ilan Rubin |
Lostprophets ( /lɒstˈprɒfɪts/; often stylised as lostprophets) is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist (later guitarist) Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio albums, most recent released The Betrayed on 13 January 2010. They are also part of the Cardiff music scene.
The band have achieved two top ten hits on the UK Singles Chart ("Last Train Home" and "Rooftops"), one number one single on the Alternative Songs chart ("Last Train Home"), several Kerrang! Awards and nominations and have sold around 5 million albums worldwide.
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The band formed in 1997 in the Welsh town of Pontypridd.[1] Lostprophets formed with two members of Public Disturbance, which featured singer Ian Watkins on drums and guitarist Mike Lewis.[1] Neither member initially left Public Disturbance, although Watkins quit as soon as 1998.[2] With Watkins on vocal duties and Lewis (who did not leave Public Disturbance until 2000[2]) playing bass,[3] the band also included guitarist Lee Gaze and Mike Chiplin on drums.
Lostprophets started out as part of the fledgling South Wales scene — originally calling themselves "The bum mules" — playing gigs at venues across Wales including T.J.'s in Newport.[1][3] From there, they went on to tours on the UK's circuit. The band recorded three demos during this time: Here Comes the Party, Para Todas las Putas Celosas, which translates as "For all the jealous whores", and The Fake Sound of Progress. These were produced by Stuart Richardson,[4] who joined the band as bassist for the latter recording.[3] Mike Lewis at this point switched to rhythm guitar. The Fake Sound of Progress also included the addition of DJ Stepzak, who would remain with the band for around a year.[5] The first three tracks from their third demo were refined and re-recorded for the release of their debut album of the same name: the title track, "MOAC Supreme" and "Stopquote" — the latter two were renamed "A Thousand Apologies" and "Awkward", respectively. All of the EPs are out of print, and are very rare.
The band caught the attention of the two music publishers Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines both giving them glancing reviews.[2] In 1999 they signed in with Independent label Visible Noise.[2]
The band's debut album Thefakesoundofprogress was released through Visible Noise in November.[2] Recorded in less than two weeks for £4000[1] the record drew on a wide range of influences, it would be re-released the following year through Columbia Records. Shortly after the completion of the album, DJ Stepzak decided he would not commit to the band and was replaced with Jamie Oliver, who was placed in the band simply because he got on so well and could not go on tour otherwise.[6]
Thefakesoundofprogress featured many references to 1980s pop-culture. In addition to the Duran Duran reference in the band's name, there was an image of Vengar from the Dungeons & Dragons TV series on the album sleeve notes, as well as song titles like "Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja" and "Kobrakai". The first song's title was a reference to the video games Shinobi and Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja, while the second was an alternative spelling of Cobra Kai, the name of the karate dojo in the Karate Kid movies. Another reference is the use of the VF-1 Valkyrie in Battroid mode from the 1982 anime The Super Dimension Fortress Macross as part of the album illustration.
Q Prime management, who represent such acts as Metallica, assisted the band in courting America's top major labels.[7] The band chose to sign with Columbia, a division of Sony Records, though in Europe their records continue to be released through Visible Noise.[7] The band worked with renowned producer Michael Barbiero to remaster the album,[8] and this new remastered version of the album was released in November 2001.[9] The album appears to have divided the band's existing fan base where the first accusations of selling out were levelled at the band from the underground music scene within which they achieved their first success.[2]
During this period, Lostprophets built up a strong live following with support slots to popular acts such as Pitchshifter, Linkin Park and Deftones, as well as several headlining stints of their own.[1] They also took part in the successful Nu-Titans tour with Defenestration among other new UK Metal acts of the time. Co-headlining the 2002 Deconstruction Tour in London , supporting acts was Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Mad Caddies among others.,[10] Lostprophets featured on a bill consisting of more traditionally punk oriented acts. This provoked hostility from certain members of the audience, who were upset at Lostprophets inclusion on such a bill. The band subsequently toured with Ozzfest, played at Glastonbury and the Reading and Leeds Festival.[1][11] They also appeared on a number of British TV shows, including Top of the Pops, CD:UK and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. They also performed as part of the 2002 NME Carling Awards tour.[12][13]
After the extensive touring cycle for The Fake Sound of Progress finally ended, the band took a brief break before beginning the process of writing new material for Start Something at Frontline Studios in Caerphilly, Wales.[7] They then entered Los Angeles's Bigfoot Studio for a recording process that lasted from March until September 2003, with producer Eric Valentine.[7] Valentine had previously produced albums for Queens of the Stone Age and Good Charlotte.[7][14]
The first single released from the album was the song "Burn Burn", the music video for which began receiving heavy rotation on satellite and cable channels like MTV2, Kerrang! TV and Scuzz in the UK.[3][15] The song attracted some criticism, however, as the opening bore a striking resemblance to "Mother Mary", a song from the band Far's Water and Solutions album. The band themselves even conceded in interviews that the singing pattern bore an undeniable similarity to the Adamski song "Killer".[16]
"Burn Burn" was released on 3 November 2003, and was originally scheduled to be closely followed by the release of the album.[15] The release of the album was delayed several times and a headlining tour of the UK, was also postponed during this time. The band rescheduled the cancelled UK shows, with the exception of their scheduled appearance at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, stating in magazine interviews that honouring those commitments would have meant leaving the recording studio while the album was only half completed.[3]
The album was released in the UK on 2 February 2004, and was commercially successful, achieving number four in the UK Albums Chart. The album has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide according to BBC Wales.[17] The critical response from mainstream magazines was mostly positive, though the response from rock publications such as Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and Rock Sound was sometimes tepid.[17] To promote the album, they toured North America, Europe and as part of the Big Day Out festival in Australia and New Zealand. The tour for this record culminated on 21 November 2004, at a sold out show in Cardiff International Arena.[7][18]
On 19 June 2005, founding member Mike Chiplin left the group to pursue other musical opportunities. Since then, Chiplin has joined another band called The Unsung, and is currently in a band called Accident Music, which also features Chris Morgan of Midasuno and Darran Smith formerly of Funeral for a Friend. He has also opened up his own practice studio for young people to start bands.[19]
The remaining members began working on material for the next album.[19] Due to the lengthy gap between The Fake Sound of Progress and Start Something, and the backlash that grew against the band because of it, the remaining band members stated in various interviews that they wanted to release their third album in early 2006.[19][20] As with Start Something, the band wrote and recorded demo tracks for the album (with Ian Watkins playing the drums) in a UK recording studio before completing the album in America.[3] Liberation Transmission was recorded in Hawaii, and saw the band work with Bob Rock. Drummer Josh Freese (of The Vandals and A Perfect Circle) recorded ten out of the twelve drum tracks for this album (Ilan Rubin recorded "Everybody's Screaming!!!" and "For All These Times Son, for All These Times").[21]
The band returned to their roots, playing a series of small venues across South Wales.[22] They also headlined Give it a Name, a two-day event with My Chemical Romance.[22] These shows featured the first live appearance of then-17 year-old Ilan Rubin on drums and the live premiere of songs "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)", "A Town Called Hypocrisy" and "The New Transmission".[23] The album itself was released on 26 June 2006 (27 June in the USA), and became the first Lostprophets album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.[24] The album has seen the band adopt a more contemporary sound with far less emphasis on screaming than previous releases (exceptions being songs "Everyday Combat" and "For All These Times Son, for All These Times").
Lostprophets began a full-fledged UK tour on 3 July 2006.[25] As with their warm-up gigs prior to the album's release, the band selected South Wales-based support bands for this tour. The band followed this with another UK tour in November.[25] They followed their UK dates with a European tour in France, Germany, and several other countries.[26] The main support for this was The Blackout. They returned to the UK for an Arena tour in April 2007, from 18 April to 22nd.[27] The scheduled venues were: Glasgow (SECC); Manchester (MEN Arena); Birmingham (NIA) & London (Wembley Arena).[27] Lostprophets also played at the Full Ponty festival in Wales on 26 May 2007.[28] The support acts included Paramore and The Blackout.[28]
Writing and recording the band's fourth studio album began in early 2007. Originally the band stated that they wanted the album released in 2007, however due to both touring and being unhappy with the results of their work in the studio the band did not keep to their original release plan. Despite recording an entire album's worth of material with producer John Feldmann, this work was shelved[29] in favour of material they later recorded and produced themselves, with recording sessions for what would later be known as The Betrayed beginning in November 2008.[30] Consequently the album was not released until 13 January 2010, where it reached a peak of 3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Throughout the earlier part of 2008, the band performed several dates, including Download Festival which they headlined on the Sunday night, V Festival and Rock am Ring and Rock im Park, as well as a small amount of performances around the UK.[31][32] They also headlined the NME/Radio 1 tent at 2009's Reading and Leeds Festival.[33]
The band have claimed that The Betrayed is "by far the finest, darkest and most real album" of their career.[34] Originally, Ian Watkins stated he wanted the new album to be "nastier" and "darker" than previous efforts, with more energy and vibe than before. In a blog post, guitarist Mike Lewis suggested that Ilan Rubin (who subsequently left the band to join Nine Inch Nails[35]) was very much a large part of the writing/recording process. Following Rubin's departure, Luke Johnson of Beat Union was officially announced as the band's new drummer in August 2009. During this time, Kerrang! magazine published a "world exclusive" article on Lostprophets, revealing the album's title, and its release date of January 2010. In a later interview with Kerrang in early 2009, Watkins stated that the record was "the most honest album" the band has ever done, and that overall the record was "a lot grittier and sleazier", while also stating that did not mean "it won't be catchy", but that it would not be done "in such a twee way". When speaking about what the record would sound like, Jamie Oliver stated that he felt it had "the bite that Start Something had, with the song-ability of Liberation Transmission but personality of The Fake Sound of Progress."[36][37][38][39]
The first single from the new album, "It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here", was aired for the first time on BBC Radio 1 on 19 August. It was subsequently released on 12 October 2009 and reached #16 on the Official UK chart. This was followed by "Where We Belong", which was released on 4 January 2010.
The band commenced their UK tour with support from Kids in Glass Houses, Hexes, We Are the Ocean and Sharks, in February 2010.
The Doncaster date to the UK tour was cancelled and refunded, but no reason was given for the cancellation. The Port Talbot date of the tour has been postponed and moved to a different venue due to a fire at the Afan Lido Leisure Centre. The show took place on 1 May at the Cardiff International Arena.[40]
The band also has confirmed that they will tour Australia.[41] The tour took place on 27 March 2010 at The Roundhouse, NSW, Sydney.
The band also played at the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festival.[42]
The band have announced plans to release a singles album in autumn, which will include two unheard tracks. They also plan to have a new studio album out by Autumn 2011.[43] At the weekend of the Reading Festival 2010, Watkins participated in the Kerrang! Podcast: Reading Festival, telling the reporter that he hoped to have the singles album out by the end of 2010 or early 2011, and said that the fifth studio album should be released around the time of the 2011 Reading and Leeds Festivals. In early 2011, the band has rented a house in Norfolk that served as their studio while composing a demo and pre-producing the new album. British rapper/producer Labrinth confirmed in his blog on MTV that Lostprophets will feature on his new album due for release this autumn.[44] On May 10, 2011, it was announced that Lostprophets have entered NRG Recording Studios in Hollywood, California, with producer Ken Andrews, to start recording their fifth studio album. A tentative release date for the album is set for February 2012.[45]
In August 2011, the band went on a short UK tour, with dates in Cardiff, Bournemouth, Oxford and Norwich, as well as the two V Festival dates, and an additional appearance at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary. During this short tour, the band debuted live a new song from the upcoming album, tentatively titled "Bring 'Em Down".[46]
At the start of October 2011, the Lostprophets website was reskinned with a new logo and background. This new website also featured details regarding the 5th studio album, stating that it 'should be in your ears early next year' (2012). It also announced that Lostprophets will be playing at Soundwave in February 2012.
Lostprophets are most commonly termed nu metal[2][47][48][49][50] and hard rock.[47][49][51] However, a wide variety of influences have been noted in their music, with other genre tags applied to the band including alternative metal,[47] post-grunge[47] and alternative rock.[48][52] Their music is termed an aggressive style of rock, blending strong driving guitars, groove and bounce, and pop elements and accessibility.[47][53][54]
The punk side to the band’s music has been noted, again specifically of the pop variety.[49][54] The influence of heavy metal on their music is also noted,[47] although this varies from song to song.[49][55] Some have also described an emo side to the music.[49] Their music has been praised as powerful, combining softer melodies with aggressive edge,[55] with screamed vocals and catchy riffs,[52] while some have also stated it has a derivative, formulaic or forgettable nature.[47][49][55] They have been compared to bands such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Hoobastank and Incubus.[49][51][55]
Watkins' lyrics range from sombre to aggressive, and have been described as often conveying a feeling of disillusionment with topics such as relationships or social groups, albeit frequently delivered in a rousing manner even when this is the case.[53]
The band have also provided guest vocals for other band's songs. Ian Watkins was featured in "Secret" by Amazing Device, "It's High Tide Baby!" by The Blackout, "War" and "Julian" by Goldfinger, and both Watkins and Jamie Oliver were guests in Hoobastank's "Out of Control".
1997–1998 (as Lozt Prophetz)[5] |
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1998–1999 (as Lozt Prophetz)[5] |
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1999–2000[5] |
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2000–2005 |
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2006–2009 |
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2009–present |
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Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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2001 | Lostprophets | Best British Newcomer | Won |
2004 | '"Last Train Home" | Best Single | Won |
Start Something | Best Album | Nominated | |
Lostprophets | Best British Band | Nominated | |
2006 | Liberation Transmission | Best Album | Won |
Lostprophets | Best British Band | Won | |
"Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" | Best Videoclip | Nominated | |
2007 | Lostprophets | Best British Band | Won |
2008 | Lostprophets | Best British Band | Nominated |
2010 | Lostprophets | Best British Band | Nominated |
It's Not the End of the World, But I Can See It from Here | Best Video | Nominated | |
Lostprophets | The Classic Songwriter Award | Won |
Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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2002 | Lostprophets | Best Metal Act | Won |
Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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2002 | Lostprophets | Best Live Act | Won |
2004 | Best Welsh Act | Won | |
2005 | Won | ||
2006 | Won | ||
Best Live Act | Won | ||
Liberation Transmission | Best Album | Won |
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