Alex Lee (musician)
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Alex Lee | |
|---|---|
 Alex Lee performing with Placebo for a televised performance in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alex Lee |
| Born | 16 March 1970 |
| Origin | Bristol, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, Keyboards, Bass, Lap Steel, Harmonica, Musical Saw |
Alex Lee (born 16 March 1970, Bristol) is an English musician. Lee is a multi-instrumentalist who has played guitar and keyboards for Goldfrapp, Strangelove, Suede, Placebo and The Blue Aeroplanes amongst others. During his tenure with Suede, he was a live session player during the 1999 Head Music tour, and was later taken on as a full member of the band for their final album, 2002's A New Morning, on which he has songwriting credits.
Biography
Lee joined the Blue Aeroplanes in 1989, around the time that they signed to Ensign Records.[1] He played on the hit album Swagger.[1] He played with The Jazz Butcher and then formed Strangelove with Patrick Duff in 1991, staying with the band until 1998, and recording three albums.[1]
In 2001 he joined Suede, replacing Neil Codling, and played on the album A New Morning.[1]
In January 2006 Lee was recruited for Placebo's live line-up and played shows with them on their Meds world tour which finished in September 2007. He contributed guitar to five tracks on Seventh Tree by Goldfrapp (2008), their fourth album, and three tracks on 2010 album Head First. He played guitar in the live shows to promote Seventh Tree.
He has worked on numerous soundtracks as a composer for TV and films, including the score for Channel 4's acclaimed, ground-breaking documentary series Alone in the Wild in September 2009. Lee has also worked extensively as a session musician, songwriter and producer on a variety of different recordings ranging from pop music to more experimental & avant garde projects. In 2009 he recorded a session playing the musical saw for former Strangelove singer Patrick Duff's second solo album The Mad Straight Road.
In February/March 2010, Lee worked for The Royal Shakespeare Company as Musical Director and guitarist in the play, Dunsinane at Hampstead Theatre, London which garnered rave reviews from The Times, The Independent & The Daily Telegraph amongst others. The play is a modern day sequel to Shakespeare's Macbeth written by David Greig.
In 2010, he played in the live premiere of a specially commissioned soundtrack for Carl Theodor Dreyer's classic 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc. The score was composed by Adrian Utley of Portishead and Will Gregory of Goldfrapp and was accompanied by a live performance of the new piece by an eclectic group of musicians including Lee as one of six electric guitarists alongside members of the Monteverdi Choir, harp, percussion, horns and keyboards.
With co-composer Nick Powell, Alex Lee has written the music for controversial BBC Three drama Lip Service which was first aired on Oct 12th 2010.