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Propheting from loss
30/ 6/2006
JOBS don't come much better than being a rock star recording
your album in the lush environs of Hawaii. Beautiful weather,
beautiful scenery and the odd beautiful cast member of Channel 4
hit show Lost walking around - sounds like a dream, right?
But Ian Watkins, lead singer of Welsh rockers lostprophets (no
capital letter, apparently), paints a very different picture of his
band's stint on the former Sandwich Islands while working on their
third album Liberation Transmission.
"We didn't see any of the Lost cast," grumbles Ian. "They were on a
different island."
It was the band's first time working with veteran producer Bob
Rock, who lives on Maui. In his time Bob has been responsible for
taking bands like Metallica and Motley Crue from the underground to
the mainstream and has worked with the likes of Bon Jovi and
Cher.
But lostprophets - Watkins, guitarist Lee Gaze, bassist Stuart
Richardson, guitarist Mike Lewis, and DJ Jamie Oliver (drummer Mike
Chiplin left last year) - have already made some headway in
becoming a major mainstream act in recent years.
Their sophomore album Start Something, released at the tail end of
2003, was a Top 5 hit and spawned the Top 10 single Last Train
Home. This was followed by a relentless touring schedule that
culminated in a triumphant sold-out show at Cardiff International
Arena. Their new tour kicks off on Monday at Manchester's
Apollo.
With Bob on board things can surely only get bigger for the band
when they release Liberation Transmission.
"Who knows? You can never tell. But so far it's been cool," says
Ian.
"We're on an upward curve and it's been in nice increments as well.
It wasn't like we were all over the place and massive after the
first record.
"I think a band needs a couple of records to find who they are, to
find their feet, and to really hit their stride. It takes two or
three albums to find that.
"Bands like U2, The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Red Hot
Chili Peppers, Metallica even, they all took a few albums to
experiment and find who they were.
"Making this album was a lot more stressful than the previous
albums and a lot more challenging as well, just in working with
Bob. He definitely worked us quite hard.
"If he doesn't like something then he'll tell you. There were
arguments all the time. But we just dealt with it, because
ultimately we trusted him."
Ian says the band have become an even tighter unit since drummer
Chiplin left.
Officially they have yet to replace him, though drummer Ilan Rubin
joins them for live shows, and Ian certainly gives the impression
that Mike, who left "to pursue other projects and spend time with
his young family" hasn't left a hole.
"It's made things a lot better because he was really unhappy and
everybody sensed that," he says.
"When one person isn't happy it affects everyone's mood. We asked
him what was wrong. But ultimately I don't think even he really
knew, just that he was unhappy.
"It was so stressful, so when he did leave it was like a weight had
been lifted for everybody else. I've not spoken to him for a year
now. I've no idea what he's up to."
Chaplin's problems are, the band hope, now very much behind them.
They even feel that the rock media and rock fans are back in step
after some scathing criticisms.
Just as they were beginning to experience some success with their
debut album - the self-financed thefakesoundofprogress - a deal
with a major label in the US elicited accusations of selling out
from fans, even though the band remained on independent label
Visible Noise here in the UK.
Then the rock media turned on them, dismissing them as a boy band
because of their good looks, sense of style and proudly discussed
pop influences. The fact they came up through the hardcore rock
scene in south Wales was ignored and, for a long time, they
weathered a backlash.
"I think it's just old and tired now," says Ian. "Hopefully by the
end of this album we'll have re-addressed all of that.
"It all comes down to the fact that we're our on our third record
and a lot of our peers who were critically acclaimed are nowhere to
be seen.
"The backlash was primarily the media.
"But because the media didn't build us, it's very hard for the
media to destroy us.
"We built ourselves on live shows and on the fans, on people.
"It wasn't some magazine deciding we were cool."
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