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;Former members
;Former members
* Andy X - skin flute, harmonium, fan baiting
* DJ Stepzak – turntables, samples <small>(1999–2000)</small><ref name=lineups />
* DJ Stepzak – turntables, samples <small>(1999–2000)</small><ref name=lineups />
* Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion <small>(1997–2005)</small>
* Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion <small>(1997–2005)</small>

Revision as of 00:34, 30 October 2010

Lostprophets

Lostprophets (Template:Pron-en, often stylised as lostprophets) are 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.[citation needed]

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"), and several Kerrang! Awards and nominations.

History

Early years (1997–2000)

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 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]

Thefakesoundofprogress (2000–2002)

The band's debut album Thefakesoundofprogress was released through Visible Noise in November.[2] Recorded in less than two weeks for a mere £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 with Ian Watkins and could not go on tour with them 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]

Start Something (2003–2004)

Stuart Richardson performing with Lostprophets at Leeds Festival 2007

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]

Liberation Transmission (2005–2007)

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 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]

The Betrayed (2007–2010)

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 January 13, 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. It was widely speculated that the bad was going to replace Luke Johnson with the former drummer of Sinai Beach and current vocalist of The Odessa Trail Kaelo James, but after interviews with both camps ( including one where Kaelo James attacked a reporter who asked him about moving back to the United Kingdom and joining Lost Prophets ) the rumors were put to rest.[36] During this time, Kerrang! magazine published a "world exclusive" article on Lostprophets, revealing the album's title, and its release date of January 2010.[citation needed] In a latter 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".[citation needed] 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."[37][38][39][40]

Ilan Rubin with Lostprophets at the Leeds Festival 2007. Rubin left the group in early 2009

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 August 19. It was subsequently released on the 12th October 2009 and reached #16 on the Official UK chart. This was followed by "Where We Belong", which was released on the 4th 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 May 1 at the Cardiff International Arena.[41]

The band also has confirmed that they will tour Australia.[42] The tour took place on 27 March 2010 at The Roundhouse, NSW, Sydney.

The band also played at the 2010 Reading and Leeds Festival.[43]

Singles album and future work (2010-present)

The band have also announced that they plan to release a singles album in autumn which will include two unheard new tracks. They also hope to have a new album out by summer 2011.[44] At The Weekend of Reading Festival, Ian participated in the Kerrang! Podcast: Reading Festival. In this he told the reporter that he hoped to have the singles album out by the end of this year or start of next year, and said that that he hoped to have the next album out around the time of the Reading and Leeds Festivals 2011. The band have rented out a house in Norfolk which will serve as their HQ whilst they write a demo until the end of the month. The album is currently on track for a Summer 2011 release with singer Ian Watkins stating 'its a new chapter' for Lostprophets.

Styles and influences

Lostprophets are most commonly termed nu metal[2][45][46][47][48] and hard rock.[45][47][49] However, a wide variety of influences have been noted in their music, with other genre tags applied to the band including alternative metal,[45] post-hardcore,[25] post-grunge[45] and alternative rock.[46][50] Their music is termed an aggressive style of rock, blending strong driving guitars, groove and bounce, and pop elements and accessibility.[45][51][52]

The punk side to the band’s music has been noted, again specifically of the pop variety.[47][52] The influence of heavy metal on their music is also noted[45], although this varies from song to song.[47][53] Some have also described an emo side to the music.[47] Their music has been praised as powerful, combining softer melodies with aggressive edge,[53] with screamed vocals and catchy riffs,[50] while some have also stated it has a derivative, formulaic or forgettable nature.[45][47][53] They have been compared to bands such as Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Hoobastank and Incubus.[47][49][53]

Watkins' lyrics range from sombre to aggressive, and have been described as often conveying a feeling of disillusionment, albeit frequently delivered in a rousing manner.[51]

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".

Band members

Current members
Former members
  • DJ Stepzak – turntables, samples (1999–2000)[5]
  • Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion (1997–2005)
  • Ilan Rubin – drums, percussion (2006–2009)

Line-up history

1997–1998 (as Lozt Prophetz)[5]
1998–1999 (as Lozt Prophetz)[5]
  • Ian Watkins – vocals
  • Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
  • Lee Gaze – lead guitar
  • Stuart Richardson – bass
  • Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion
1999–2000[5]
  • Ian Watkins – vocals
  • Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
  • Lee Gaze – lead guitar
  • Stuart Richardson – bass
  • DJ Stepzak – turntables, samples
  • Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion
2000–2005
  • Ian Watkins – vocals
  • Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
  • Lee Gaze – lead guitar
  • Stuart Richardson – bass
  • Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples, vocals
  • Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion
2006–2009
  • Ian Watkins – vocals
  • Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
  • Lee Gaze – lead guitar
  • Stuart Richardson – bass
  • Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples, vocals
  • Ilan Rubin – drums, percussion
2009–present
  • Ian Watkins – vocals
  • Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar
  • Lee Gaze – lead guitar
  • Stuart Richardson – bass
  • Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples, vocals
  • Luke Johnson – drums, percussion

Discography

Main article: Lostprophets discography

Awards

Kerrang! awards

[55][56][57][58] [59]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
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

NME Awards

[60]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2002 Lostprophets Best Metal Act Won

Pop Factory Awards

[61][62][63]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2002 Lostprophets Best Live Act Won
2004 Best Welsh Act Won
2005 Won
2006 Won
Best Live Act Won
Liberation Transmission Best Album Won

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f David Jeffries. "Lostprophets biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Lostprophets". BBC Wales. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Lostprophets: Mike Lewis". BBC Wales. Archived from the original on 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  4. ^ "United They Stand". Kerrang!. 7 October 2009. pp. 22–27.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Lostprophets Family Tree". Retrieved November 23, 2009.
  6. ^ "Lostprophets – Jamie Oliver". BBC. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Lostprophets". purevolume.com. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  8. ^ Inner liner notes, Thefakesoundofprogress, UK release from Visible Noise
  9. ^ "Lostprophets". NME. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  10. ^ "'Prophet Take Top Billing". NME. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  11. ^ "Fest of Fun". NME. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  12. ^ "A View To a Hit". NME. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  13. ^ Louis Pattison. "The Rise of Lostprophets". BBC Wales. Retrieved 2008-02-17.
  14. ^ "Lostprophets Recording Update". Absolute Punk.
  15. ^ a b "Lostprophets Make Fiery Return". purevolume.com. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  16. ^ "Lostprophets: Burn Burn". BBC Wales. Retrieved 2008-06-24. [dead link]
  17. ^ a b James McLaren. "About rock music". BBC Wales. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  18. ^ "Lostprophets". MTV. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  19. ^ a b c "Lostprophets drummer quits band". BBC. London. June 21, 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  20. ^ "Lostprophets: The Sound of Progress". NME. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  21. ^ "Lostprophets family tree". BBC Wales. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  22. ^ a b "Lostprophets announce one-off show". NME. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  23. ^ "Lostprophets steal the show at Give It a Name". NME. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  24. ^ "Lostprophets conquer album chart". BBC. London. July 2, 2006. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  25. ^ a b c "Lostprophets go on second UK tour of the year". NME. Retrieved 2008-06-24. Cite error: The named reference "NME" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  26. ^ "Lostprophets forge ahead with fall tour". Live Daily. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  27. ^ a b "Lostprophets announce arena tour". NME. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  28. ^ a b "Full Ponty 2007".
  29. ^ "ostprophets on Album Four". Rock Sound. October 2008.
  30. ^ "Lostprophets studio blog 1". November 28, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
  31. ^ "More bands announced for Download Festival". Metal Underground. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  32. ^ Del Crookes (2008-06-16). "Lostprophets bring Download to a close". BBC. London. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  33. ^ "Reading 2010". Readingfestival.com. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  34. ^ "Myspace blog". MySpace. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  35. ^ "Lostprophets drummer to join Nine Inch Nails full-time". NME. 18 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  36. ^ Lostprophets Announce New Drummer And Look Forward To Reading And Leeds
  37. ^ Jamie Lostprophets (April 30, 2009). "people are asking what the new album will sound like, whether it will be like the old stuff..." Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  38. ^ Jamie Lostprophets (May 1, 2009). "To me it has the bite that SS had, with the song-ability of LT but personality of FSOP". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  39. ^ Jamie Lostprophets (May 1, 2009). "The dark element is brought by Ian and most of his lyrics... like a buff evil ninja disguised as a Male model haha". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  40. ^ Jamie Lostprophets (May 1, 209). "It's a classy rock sorta heavy without sounding like bad metal. but catchy as feck, and also a little more grown up". Twitter. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  41. ^ Lostprophets cancel Port Talbot show due to fire
  42. ^ "Australia [[The Betrayed]] Tour Dates". {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  43. ^ Reading / Leeds 2010 lineup announced
  44. ^ Lostprophets wokring on fifth studio album
  45. ^ a b c d e f g Brian O'Neil. "The Fake Sound of Progress". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-17. Cite error: The named reference "allmusicreview" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  46. ^ a b "Lostprophets". musicmight.com. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  47. ^ a b c d e f g Jason MacNeil. "Lostprophets: Start Something". popmatters.com. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  48. ^ "Lostprophets". uk.music.ign.com. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  49. ^ a b Kirk Miller. "Start Something". Rolling Stone.
  50. ^ a b Start Something review at IGN Music
  51. ^ a b Corey Apar. "Liberation Transmission". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  52. ^ a b Liberation Transmission review at IGN Music
  53. ^ a b c d Johnny Loftus. "Start Something". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
  54. ^ Lostprophets – headstockdistribution.com
  55. ^ "The Kerrang! Awards review 2004 (Page 4)". ilikemusic.com. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  56. ^ Mark Brown (August 25, 2006). "Lostprophets on their metal as they top the Kerrang! awards". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  57. ^ "The Kerrang! Awards review 2004 (Page 5)". ilikemusic.com. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  58. ^ "The Kerrang! Awards review 2004 (Page 10)". ilikemusic.com. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  59. ^ The Kerrang Awards 2010-And the winners are...
  60. ^ "NME awards: The winners". BBC. London. February 25, 2002. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  61. ^ "Pop Factory Awards Winners 2002". tourdates.co.uk. November 26, 2002. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  62. ^ "Pop Factory Awards 2006". popfactory.com. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
  63. ^ "Visible Noise News". Visible Noise. Retrieved 2009-02-18. [dead link]
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