A musical resurrection born from a legacy of scandal
In short: How do you rebuild a band after its frontman is sentenced to 29 years in prison? No Devotion is the story of a musical pivot, where former members of Lostprophets sought a second chance by shedding their past and forging a new identity with an American rock icon.
In 2012, the Welsh rock band Lostprophets collapsed following the arrest and subsequent 29-year imprisonment of lead singer Ian Watkins. The remaining members—Stuart Richardson, Lee Gaze, Luke Johnson, Mike Lewis, and Jamie Oliver—sought to distance themselves from Watkins' criminal legacy. In April 2014, they formed No Devotion, a project designed to separate their professional identities from the scandal. They recruited American vocalist Geoff Rickly, formerly of the band Thursday, who joined on May 1, 2014, to provide a fresh lead voice.
The transition was deliberate. The band explicitly stated they would not perform any music from the Lostprophets discography, opting instead for a sound influenced by Joy Division, New Order, and The Cure. Despite early momentum, including a debut single in July 2014 and a successful 2016 Kerrang! Album of the Year win for their debut, 'Permanence', the project faced a bizarre corporate hurdle. Their label, Collect Records, folded after it was revealed that convicted pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli was a secret major investor, leading to 'Permanence' being pulled from streaming services.
After a period of inactivity and various lineup changes—including the departures of Johnson, Lewis, and Oliver—the band eventually signed with Velocity Records in 2021. They returned to the spotlight in 2022 with their second album, 'No Oblivion'. The journey highlights a complex navigation of artistic survival, moving from the wreckage of a disgraced legacy toward a new, independent musical identity.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: No Devotion
- Also: Wikidata — No Devotion · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — No Devotion discography · CC0
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