Lee Gaze, guitarist for Lostprophets, has opened up about his former bandmate Ian Watkins, who was jailed for child sex offences. The last time Gaze saw Watkins was in December 2012, when they met in London to film a music video. Despite arriving four hours late, Watkins was upbeat and discussed the band's future, believing they could return to their former success. Weeks later, Watkins was charged and eventually pleaded guilty.
Gaze described the betrayal as devastating, stressing that none of the band members knew about Watkins's crimes. In a statement, they expressed shock and disgust, and extended sympathy to the victims. Gaze noted that some former bandmates, like keyboardist Jamie Oliver, refuse to discuss the matter, while others have processed it by talking extensively.
The guitarist, who briefly ran a coffee stand, has spoken with fans who approached him with Lostprophets memorabilia. He expressed sympathy for superfans who tattooed Watkins's face or lyrics, but was baffled by those who continue to support Watkins. He and bassist Stuart Richardson emphasised that they were blindsided by the revelations and that having children made the betrayal worse.
Both Gaze and Richardson said they can no longer listen to Lostprophets' music. 'It's tainted, because he was the voice of the band, and it was his lyrics,' Gaze said. Richardson, speaking from Florida, added: 'There are bigger victims in this whole thing; there are families trying to deal with this right now.' He admitted to agonising over whether they could have spotted Watkins's behaviour earlier.
