The evolution of a riff from Sheffield to global stages
In short: Lee Malia didn't start as a rock icon; he began by ignoring his father’s guitar in their home. It took the loss of that instrument and a small amount of Christmas money to spark a journey from local cover bands to headlining international tours.
Born in Sheffield in 1984, Malia's musical foundation was built on his parents' collection of classic rock and metal. While he initially left his father's guitar untouched, he eventually purchased a Falcon Strat after spending his Boxing Day money. His early development involved playing in local cover bands—starting with Blink-182—and a Metallica tribute group before joining Bring Me the Horizon in 2004.
Malia’s technical evolution mirrors the band's sonic shift. He transitioned from an Ibanez with thin necks to Epiphone guitars with thicker necks as the band moved toward 'riffy stuff.' His influences are diverse, ranging from the heavy picking techniques of Metallica and the brutality of Cannibal Corpse to the atmospheric textures of Bon Iver and Sigur Rós. This duality is evident in his gear: he utilizes a Marshall JTM45 for clean tones and a JCM800 for distortion.
His professional trajectory is marked by significant commercial milestones, including peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart with Sempiternal (2013) and reaching number two in both the UK and US charts with That's the Spirit (2015). Beyond touring, Malia has expanded into film scoring for directors like Adam MacDonald, notably for Pyewacket (2017) and Out Come the Wolves (2024), finding the process of scoring a film less nerve-wracking than contributing to a studio album.
Malia's influence on gear design is also notable. He has collaborated with Epiphone on three signature models, including a Custom Explorer Artisan inspired by James Hetfield. In 2025, he released an LM-87 with Jackson Guitars; notably, he chose to base the model on a Charvel Surfcaster rather than a Gibson Firebird specifically to avoid potential legal complications.
Opens the Intellect+ feed with this card first. Swipe up for the next one.
Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Lee Malia
To cite this card, link to https://intellectplus.co.uk/app/history-lee-malia.
How we source, check and correct cards: Editorial standards.
General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.
Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?
Related
More in Born on this day · More in History · Latest · A–Z · All topics
