Lee James Gaze (born 21 May 1975 in

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

, Wales) is a Welsh musician. He is the

lead guitarist Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

, and also one of the founding members, of the Welsh/American alternative rock band

No Devotion No Devotion are a Welsh-American rock band formed in Pontypridd and Cardiff in 2014. The group is currently composed of American vocalist Geoff Rickly of the band Thursday, along with Stu Richardson and Lee Gaze, former members of the Welsh ba ...

and previously a member of the Welsh rock band

Lostprophets 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 band was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruited Mike ...

Early life

Gaze was born in

and grew up on a council estate in the Pontypridd village

Rhydyfelin Rhydyfelin (, ''Mill Ford'') is a large village (originally known as Rhydfelen) and part of the community of Pontypridd Town, about two miles to its south east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is on the eastern ban ...

. He did not do well at school as he was more interested in playing

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

: as he told ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...

'' in 2006, "Before I discovered music, I was a total delinquent, and then

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

changed my life. I had just been listening to pop before that. A friend of mine got hold of a tape and played to me and we got obsessed." He was also a huge fan of

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

and Slayer.

Career

In 1991, Gaze formed his first band. They recorded one demo, ''Discontent'' and in 1994 they joined forces with two other local musicians and formed Fleshbind. The band recorded three demos and saw some success in their three-year career, including playing a show for

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' features news, reviews and long-form ...

at the

London Astoria The London Astoria was a music venue at 157 Charing Cross Road, in London, England. Originally a warehouse during the 1920s, the building became a cinema and ballroom. It was converted for use as a theatre in the 1970s. After further develop ...

. Tired with the lack of direction, Gaze and Watkins disbanded Fleshbind and formed

alongside Mike Chiplin on drums, later recruiting Mike Lewis,

Stuart Richardson Stuart Richardson (born 15 August 1973) is a Welsh musician. He is the bassist for the rock band No Devotion, formed by former members of Lostprophets and Geoff Rickly of Thursday. He is also the touring bassist for Thursday. Career Richardson ...

and

Jamie Oliver James Trevor Oliver MBE OSI (born 27 May 1975) is an English chef, restaurateur and cookbook author. He is known for his casual approach to cuisine, which has led him to front numerous television shows and open many restaurants. Oliver reache ...

. Gaze was the lead guitarist and one of the band's key songwriters. Lostprophets disbanded in October 2013 after Watkins was arrested, and then jailed for 29 years. The remaining members later formed a new band,

, with

Geoff Rickly Geoffrey William Rickly (born March 8, 1979) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and songwriter of rock band Thursday. Rickly is also a member of hardcore punk band United Nations, and the alternative rock group No Devotion w ...

as lead singer. The band have recently been working on their second album.

Personal life

Gaze began dating Malaysian communications specialist and a former member of Malaysian girl group, M'Steen, Syirin Said in 2011 and they were married in 2015. The couple have two sons. Together they ran a coffee shop in Hackney called Silhouette. It was voted one of the five best new cafés in London by the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

''.

Discography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaze, Lee 1975 births Living people People from Pontypridd Welsh guitarists Welsh rock musicians Welsh rock guitarists Lead guitarists Lostprophets members 21st-century British guitarists No Devotion members