Lostprophets

Five albums down the line, Lostprophets are still going strong, churning out rock hits, and bringing in the crowds, but what does it take to keep a band that's been together for 15-years fresh, strong and happy? Stuart Richardson and Mike Lewis tell Music News why it's never all fun and games, but why, right now, Lostprophets are the happiest they've ever been.


2012 sees Welsh rockers, Lostprophets release their highly anticipated fifth studio album 'Weapons', a somewhat calmer, but equally as infectious effort compared to 2010s 'The Betrayed', which saw the band lay bare their emotions and produce, what was arguably, their darkest album since forming in 1997. However, with over a decade behind them, as with most bands, it hasn't all been plain sailing. 'The Betrayed' wasn't just another angry rock album, it was a no-holds-barred account of the band's bitter disposition, that with each track, made it painfully clear that something wasn't right in camp.

'The Betrayed' was really abrasive and a bit of a hard listen, you could tell that we were really pissed off and having a really hard time. The thinking behind it was, if we could say something in a nastier way than we were, then we'd go for the nastier option just to prove a point. We had a massive chip on our shoulders, and it was rough, and we did it all ourselves; but we felt a bit like 'f*** everybody else, we can do this!'


Although the album did well, peaking at #3 on the UK Album Charts, it wasn't until after the album's promotional tour, that the band started to feel themselves again, and it was then that they decided it was time to put the past behind them and get a fresh start.
'As tough as making 'The Betrayed' was, off the back of that we had fun touring the record and so when it was all over we were able to wipe the slate clean and be in good vibes, because it was the end of a chapter.'


With some record label hopping, and some drummer shuffling (Ilan Rubin left the band to join Nine Inch Nails and was replaced by Beat Union's Luke Johnson), the sextet seemed to settle down, get back into the swing of things and work on one of the most important aspects of the band, their friendship. 'We're all mates, and we were mates before we were in the band. It's not like we're a bunch of musicians and there's a clash of egos, we weren't thrust together and there weren't any signs put up in a rehearsal studio saying 'band members wanted', everybody in Lostprophets wants what's best for the group, not just because we're in this together, but because first and foremost, we're friends and you want what's best for your mates; nobody wants to f*** over their mates do they?'

Surely with a change in band members, the dynamic would change and perhaps those solid friendships might decay? The band maintain that despite departures, tensions and relatively constant bitchiness, friendship comes first. 'Even Luke, who joined last, we've known for a while, and it was important to us that aside from being a good musician, he could to pass the buddy test, in fact he had to nail that before he even had to pass the drummer test. It was like 'Okay, we know you can play the drums, big whoops! but can you hang out with us? Is this friendship going to work?'

'Everyone has arguments, especially when you spend most of your time around the same people; brother's and sisters, boyfriends and girlfriends, they all fight, and so do we, but at the end of the day, it's about doing what's best for the group.' Which by the sounds of it, can often mean having to take a back-seat when your frontman insists on being a perfectionist, but being the all-inspiring king of hooks, what would they do without Ian Watkins?

'It's funny, because one of the hardest things about being in Lostprophets is how on point Ian is. It's really positive, but when he's trying ten different variations of something, only for him to realise that the first one was the best in the first place, you just wanna punch his lights out. You'll be mastering the record and think you're finished, then he'll be like 'why don't we try this instead?'

That's actually why 'Weapons' took 2-months to finish 90% of it, but took 6-months to finish the last 10%. It's that refining process that is really the most difficult part of making a record in this band, but maybe it's Ian's perfectionism and that last 10% that makes us different; that's where the magic is, okay so you might wanna knock everyone out by the end, but it's worth it.'

Aside from their obvious and solid camaraderie - they've known each other for over 20-years - it's clear that it's also their love of music and eclectic tastes that make Lostprophets standout from the crowd. From 60s Soul to Grime-Core, and of course Pop, the rockers from Pontypridd are all about blazing riffs and their ability to write some of the most catchy hooks in rock.

'We actually don't consciously go for a Pop feel, but that's just the way the band is. We're a tightrope of a band, Ian will want to do the most Pop thing possible and someone else might want to do the heaviest thing possible, and there will be lots of bitching, moaning and fighting until we're at where the 'Lostprophets' sound is, which is somewhere in between those two things.' Nowhere more so than on new album 'Weapons', which the band have proudly described as Lostprophets going back to their roots and a little bit more.

The first single from the album, 'Bring 'Em Down', has already made waves with it's crowd pleasing chorus and inventive, hostage themed video, not only is it swiftly becoming a fan favourite, but the band love it too. 'Bring Em Down is just so much fun to play live at the moment. We played a small show in Camden the other day, and because it's been out a little while now, everyone knew it and it was great to get that kind of reaction from the crowd with the new stuff.

That song is really summing up our vibe right now. When we go on tour and start doing the bigger shows, it's going to be one of the best songs to play live, because we were mindful of playing it live when we wrote it, that's why it has one of those choruses that's just an anthem, you automatically want to have fun and rock out to it. That's one of the things Lostprophets is good for, we're not at all afraid of being uncool, or losing our street cred', we don't give a f***, we just want to have fun.' This being a characteristic that is sure to ring true on their upcoming tour, which has a string of dates already pencilled in.

There are certain things about your favourite bands that make them a notch above the rest, and more often than not it's consistency; when you know that no matter what, a band will have a certain kind of album, or that some other band will give a certain kind of live performance. With the Lostprophets, however, it is their 'dare to scare' attitude that not only inspires, but also intrigues, and there isn't much that they haven't tried. Yet here we are, fresh from 2011, and the band seemed to have gone in yet another direction, but this time it's less about changing their style of music, and more about a change in attitude; the new thing they seem to be trying is happiness.

'Weapons' is definitely our most positive album, mostly because we feel more positive in the band. We're in a much better place than we were with the last record and so the thinking behind it was 'who are we and what are we trying to do?' and that's why this new sound is so much more cohesive, but also brave, because we just wanted to do what we do naturally. So yeah, we feel like we're in our happy place now, and that the band is in the best shape it's been in for years. I think we can all say that this is the most excited we've felt in a long time, not just because the band has got such a good vibe, but because individually we're all feeding off of each other's positivity.'

There is a notion that when bands are happy, they tend to embark on unexpected, if not completely odd, collaborations, so maybe Lostprophet's recent stint with Labrinth was just that? 'We did the collaboration with Labrinth and it turned out well, but it was a bit weird to be honest, like playing in someone else's sand box. We have thought about working with other artists, but we also have to think about what's good for Lostprophets; it's not like we'll ever think 'let's do a song with David Guetta'. In terms of anything in the future, maybe we're not that kind of band, but who knows.'

So they've found some inner peace and are now doing what they do best - producing killer hooks and thrashy anthems - with the fervour and enthusiasm of a new band that is yet to experience the pitfalls of member changes and record label woes. It might've been a long time coming, but the Lostprophets have come full-circle, they're finally happy about it, and it shows, but then again, with a new album and impending tour, what's there not to be happy about?

'The touring schedule is pretty non-stop from now until September and things are getting added all the time, but it's really exciting and we just want to get out there and play the new material. I'm sure we'll speak in September and we'll be sick of touring and knackered, but for now, we're totally pumped, pumped about the album, and about the tour, but mostly about the band'.


'Weapons' is available now!