Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins and guitarist Mike Lewis grew up together in the Cardiff satellite town of Pontypridd. They began blending musical genres as members of the band Public Disturbance. Watkins was a drummer at the time, but he moved to vocals when the pair first started experimenting as Lozt Prophetz. Watkins and Lewis flirted with ska and hip-hop at first, then came to an aggressive style of rock that mixed together their longtime love of metal and pop. They also changed the spelling to Lostprophets and added Lee Gaze (guitar), Stuart Richardson (bass), and Mike Chiplin (drums) to the lineup.