Biography
Ian Watkins, who would front Lostprophets, and guitarist Mike Lewis came of age in Pontypridd, a town outside Cardiff. As part of Public Disturbance they first mixed musical styles, with Watkins handling drums until he switched to vocals for the earliest Lozt Prophetz sessions. The pair initially explored ska and hip-hop before settling on an aggressive rock sound that fused their longstanding affinity for both metal and pop. Spelling the name Lostprophets, they brought in Lee Gaze on guitar, Stuart Richardson on bass, and Mike Chiplin on drums.
A demo spotlighted in Kerrang! prompted U.K. indie Visible Noise to sign the group to an album contract in 2000. That year’s The Fake Sound of Progress was cut in a single week on a roughly $4,000 budget. While touring in support, the band opened for Linea 77, Taproot, Pitchshifter, Linkin Park, and the Deftones; a major 2001 Reading Festival appearance further expanded their audience. Keyboardist Jamie Oliver was added to broaden the sonic palette, after which Sony secured the band for the U.S. market and issued a 2001 remix and retooling of The Fake Sound of Progress overseen by producer Michael Barbiero, followed by a North American tour.
The next release, 2004’s Start Something, confirmed the value of their road work, entering at number five on the U.K. chart and number 33 on the Billboard Top 200 even after an early online leak. Additional dates included a sold-out concert at Cardiff International Arena and a main-stage slot at the 2004 Reading Festival. In 2005 the members settled on Bob Rock—known for Metallica’s self-titled “Black Album”—to produce the third album. After Chiplin exited, drummer Josh Freese, whose credits include A Perfect Circle and Rob Zombie, was brought in for the sessions. Liberation Transmission appeared at the start of summer 2006. The Betrayed followed in 2010, and the band’s fifth studio album, Weapons, arrived in 2012.
A demo spotlighted in Kerrang! prompted U.K. indie Visible Noise to sign the group to an album contract in 2000. That year’s The Fake Sound of Progress was cut in a single week on a roughly $4,000 budget. While touring in support, the band opened for Linea 77, Taproot, Pitchshifter, Linkin Park, and the Deftones; a major 2001 Reading Festival appearance further expanded their audience. Keyboardist Jamie Oliver was added to broaden the sonic palette, after which Sony secured the band for the U.S. market and issued a 2001 remix and retooling of The Fake Sound of Progress overseen by producer Michael Barbiero, followed by a North American tour.
The next release, 2004’s Start Something, confirmed the value of their road work, entering at number five on the U.K. chart and number 33 on the Billboard Top 200 even after an early online leak. Additional dates included a sold-out concert at Cardiff International Arena and a main-stage slot at the 2004 Reading Festival. In 2005 the members settled on Bob Rock—known for Metallica’s self-titled “Black Album”—to produce the third album. After Chiplin exited, drummer Josh Freese, whose credits include A Perfect Circle and Rob Zombie, was brought in for the sessions. Liberation Transmission appeared at the start of summer 2006. The Betrayed followed in 2010, and the band’s fifth studio album, Weapons, arrived in 2012.
Singles
