Interview - IC Liverpool 2004
Author: Wil Marlow
Date: 13th February 2004
Link: IC Liverpool
Ian Watkins is knackered. The frontman of “next big things” Lostprophets has just finished the last show of Australia’s Big Day Out annual rock tour and is looking forward to winding down for the evening.
“It was much better than I could imagine,” he says of the tour. “Before I came over I wasn’t sure if anyone had heard of us in Australia and New Zealand but at the first show we played, the place was rammed and everyone was singing the words. It was mad.”
Lostprophets are doing well for a band whose success thus far has been based more on word of mouth than hype. Formed in the Cardiff satellite town of Pontypridd seven years ago, the six-piece burst on to the rock scene in 2001 with their successful debut album thefakesoundofprogress.
Three years later, they’re back with its follow-up, the more accomplished Start Something, on which fans will see the band noticeably settling into their groove.
It’s a million miles away from the first album,” says Watkins. “They’re both cool albums and the first album was full of ideas but we were naive and didn’t have a clue.
“Start Something is us with a bit more knowledge. After three years of touring, we know more about what we want to record and what we want to write. We just have the ability to realise our ideas better.”
The music industry seems to agree, with many tipping the band for great things in 2004. But Watkins is refusing to get caught up in the increasing amount of hype surrounding his band.
“I’d like to think that this year will be our year but obviously you never know,” he says. “I’m not cynical, but I am a realist. Until I see real progression and real advances then I don’t believe anything.
“But I’m feeling good at the moment. We’ve written and recorded an album that we love and whether people like it or not is completely out of our hands.”
People do seem to like the new material, however. They’re currently flying the flag for British rock in the UK’s Top 10 with their single Last Train Home, and more mainstream media are showing interest in the band.
They even made an appearance on a recent edition of music show CD:UK, during which Watkins was allowed to spout his opinions on certain pop acts. He got booed while criticising Busted for not admitting they were a boy band.
“Doing that show was kind of surreal,” he laughs. “I was sat next to Sean Paul and this girl from Pop Idol (Michelle). But Lostprophets are who we are. We’re unchecked and we’re not schooled in what to say and what not to say. I went on and mouthed off and everyone was a bit shocked.”
Watkins once again gets het up while talking about the likes of Busted and Avril Lavigne, criticising them for calling themselves rock when they are pop acts who “blatantly don’t write their own songs”.
It’s all the more of a touchy subject because Lostprophets themselves had the “boy band” tag thrown at them by the rock media when they first appeared.
“That was strange,” says Watkins. “But people can say what they want. Those who know are aware that we’ve always toured our asses off and we came up through the underground scene.
“The irony is I think we got that tag because boy bands started wearing alternative gear. And because these boy bands are highly saturated in the media, people saw us and thought we looked like a boy band when it’s actually them looking like us.”
What Watkins isn’t saying is that it was also because Lostprophets are a good-looking bunch of lads. But being called a boy band wasn’t something they were too angry about, and at one point during their last tour they even took to the stage in tight white T-shirts and matching jackets in an ironic gesture.
And despite Watkins’ opinion of Busted, he and the band are huge fans of pop music, wearing their pop influences on their sleeve - the name Lostprophets was taken from a Duran Duran bootleg album.
“I grew up listening to pop music like everybody does,” says Watkins. “Nobody is born listening to underground music like garage rock or thrash metal or punk. Everybody comes from pop.”
Lostprophets are much like any other rock band in their origins. The six band members - Watkins, fellow founder member and guitar-ist Lee Gaze, drummer Mike Chip-lin, guitarist Mike Lewis, keyboardist Jamie Oliver and bassist Stuart Richardson - were all part of the thriving rock scene in Wales as they grew up.
Watkins in particular harboured a strong desire to be in a band and, though he briefly worked as a graphic designer, music was always his ultimate goal.
“I loved graphic design and still do,” he says. “I do all the artwork for the band. But when I was working as a graphic designer there was always that thing of having to answer to someone.
“I never pictured myself working. I know that sounds really conceited but I always just wanted to be in a band and wake up and do music. It wasn’t so much about being a millionaire and being famous, I just wanted to make music and make a living.”
Now Watkins and his mates are doing just that. And with the release of Start Something, it doesn’t look like they’ll have to find proper jobs just yet.
“Doing this is amazing,” says Watkins. “And as cheesy and trite as it may sound, every day when I wake up I have to pinch myself. Today I woke up in Adelaide and realised that all I had to do was play music to a few thousand people, talk about myself and then party afterwards.
“Without sounding conceited or arrogant it is amazing, it’s a privilege. And anybody who complains about being in a band is in the wrong profession. This isn’t work at all.”
* LOSTPROPHETS’ new album Start Something was released on Monday February 2. Their single Last Train Home is currently in the charts at No 8. They play Liverpool University on February 19.
Author: Wil Marlow
Date: 13th February 2004
Link: IC Liverpool
Ian Watkins is knackered. The frontman of “next big things” Lostprophets has just finished the last show of Australia’s Big Day Out annual rock tour and is looking forward to winding down for the evening.
“It was much better than I could imagine,” he says of the tour. “Before I came over I wasn’t sure if anyone had heard of us in Australia and New Zealand but at the first show we played, the place was rammed and everyone was singing the words. It was mad.”
Lostprophets are doing well for a band whose success thus far has been based more on word of mouth than hype. Formed in the Cardiff satellite town of Pontypridd seven years ago, the six-piece burst on to the rock scene in 2001 with their successful debut album thefakesoundofprogress.
Three years later, they’re back with its follow-up, the more accomplished Start Something, on which fans will see the band noticeably settling into their groove.
It’s a million miles away from the first album,” says Watkins. “They’re both cool albums and the first album was full of ideas but we were naive and didn’t have a clue.
“Start Something is us with a bit more knowledge. After three years of touring, we know more about what we want to record and what we want to write. We just have the ability to realise our ideas better.”
The music industry seems to agree, with many tipping the band for great things in 2004. But Watkins is refusing to get caught up in the increasing amount of hype surrounding his band.
“I’d like to think that this year will be our year but obviously you never know,” he says. “I’m not cynical, but I am a realist. Until I see real progression and real advances then I don’t believe anything.
“But I’m feeling good at the moment. We’ve written and recorded an album that we love and whether people like it or not is completely out of our hands.”
People do seem to like the new material, however. They’re currently flying the flag for British rock in the UK’s Top 10 with their single Last Train Home, and more mainstream media are showing interest in the band.
They even made an appearance on a recent edition of music show CD:UK, during which Watkins was allowed to spout his opinions on certain pop acts. He got booed while criticising Busted for not admitting they were a boy band.
“Doing that show was kind of surreal,” he laughs. “I was sat next to Sean Paul and this girl from Pop Idol (Michelle). But Lostprophets are who we are. We’re unchecked and we’re not schooled in what to say and what not to say. I went on and mouthed off and everyone was a bit shocked.”
Watkins once again gets het up while talking about the likes of Busted and Avril Lavigne, criticising them for calling themselves rock when they are pop acts who “blatantly don’t write their own songs”.
It’s all the more of a touchy subject because Lostprophets themselves had the “boy band” tag thrown at them by the rock media when they first appeared.
“That was strange,” says Watkins. “But people can say what they want. Those who know are aware that we’ve always toured our asses off and we came up through the underground scene.
“The irony is I think we got that tag because boy bands started wearing alternative gear. And because these boy bands are highly saturated in the media, people saw us and thought we looked like a boy band when it’s actually them looking like us.”
What Watkins isn’t saying is that it was also because Lostprophets are a good-looking bunch of lads. But being called a boy band wasn’t something they were too angry about, and at one point during their last tour they even took to the stage in tight white T-shirts and matching jackets in an ironic gesture.
And despite Watkins’ opinion of Busted, he and the band are huge fans of pop music, wearing their pop influences on their sleeve - the name Lostprophets was taken from a Duran Duran bootleg album.
“I grew up listening to pop music like everybody does,” says Watkins. “Nobody is born listening to underground music like garage rock or thrash metal or punk. Everybody comes from pop.”
Lostprophets are much like any other rock band in their origins. The six band members - Watkins, fellow founder member and guitar-ist Lee Gaze, drummer Mike Chip-lin, guitarist Mike Lewis, keyboardist Jamie Oliver and bassist Stuart Richardson - were all part of the thriving rock scene in Wales as they grew up.
Watkins in particular harboured a strong desire to be in a band and, though he briefly worked as a graphic designer, music was always his ultimate goal.
“I loved graphic design and still do,” he says. “I do all the artwork for the band. But when I was working as a graphic designer there was always that thing of having to answer to someone.
“I never pictured myself working. I know that sounds really conceited but I always just wanted to be in a band and wake up and do music. It wasn’t so much about being a millionaire and being famous, I just wanted to make music and make a living.”
Now Watkins and his mates are doing just that. And with the release of Start Something, it doesn’t look like they’ll have to find proper jobs just yet.
“Doing this is amazing,” says Watkins. “And as cheesy and trite as it may sound, every day when I wake up I have to pinch myself. Today I woke up in Adelaide and realised that all I had to do was play music to a few thousand people, talk about myself and then party afterwards.
“Without sounding conceited or arrogant it is amazing, it’s a privilege. And anybody who complains about being in a band is in the wrong profession. This isn’t work at all.”
* LOSTPROPHETS’ new album Start Something was released on Monday February 2. Their single Last Train Home is currently in the charts at No 8. They play Liverpool University on February 19.
