Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer and lyricist Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike Lewis on guitars and Mike Chiplin on drums.
Lostprophets released five studio albums: The Fake Sound of Progress (2000), Start Something (2004), Liberation Transmission (2006), The Betrayed (2010), and Weapons (2012). They sold 3.5 million albums worldwide, achieving two top-ten singles on the UK Singles Chart ("Last Train Home" and "Rooftops"), a No. 1 single on the US Alternative Songs chart ("Last Train Home"), and several Kerrang! Awards and nominations.
In December 2012, Watkins was charged with multiple sexual offences against minors, infants and animals. Lostprophets cancelled all tour dates and disbanded in October 2013, before the end of Watkins's trial. Watkins pleaded guilty to several charges. In December 2013, he was sentenced to 29 years of imprisonment plus six years of extended supervision on licence. In June 2014, the remaining members joined American singer Geoff Rickly to form a new band, No Devotion.
History
Early years (1997–2000) Lostprophets was formed by Ian Watkins and Lee Gaze in 1997 in Pontypridd, Wales, after their previous band Fleshbind disbanded. They could not find a singer, so Watkins decided he would switch from drums to be the frontman and they recruited Mike Chiplin on drums. Mike Lewis joined a few months later as bassist after the original bandmember left. Both Lewis and Watkins were also in Public Disturbance, until 1998 and 2000 respectively.
Lostprophets started out as part of the fledgling South Wales scene—playing gigs at venues across Wales including T.J.'s in Newport. From there, they went on to tour the UK circuit. The band recorded three demos during this time: Here comes the Party, Para Todas las Putas Celosas, which translates from Spanish as "For all the jealous whores", and The Fake Sound of Progress. These were produced by Stuart Richardson, who joined the band as bassist for the latter recording. 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. 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. In 1999 they signed in with Independent label Visible Noise.
The Fake Sound of Progress (2000–2002)
The band's debut album The Fake Sound of Progress was released through Visible Noise in November. Recorded in less than two weeks for £4,000 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 musician Jamie Oliver, who was originally the band's photographer, but was told by the bands management that someone who wasn't part of the band or crew members couldn't join them on tour, so Oliver bought a set of turntables and quickly became the band's DJ.
The Fake Sound of Progress featured many references to 1980s pop-culture. In addition to the Duran Duran reference in the band's name, there was an image of Venger 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.
The band worked with producer Michael Barbiero to remaster the album, and this new remastered version of the album was released in November 2001. 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.