LEE ROGERS

Based in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, Lee Rogers produces sounds as emotive, inspiring and mysterious as his home turf feels. The contemporary songs with strong Americana influences contained on ‘Gameblood’, his second album, display a masterful musical craftsmanship while showing off open-hearted, lyrical storytelling. Rogers is an experienced singer-songwriter with his soul on his sleeve; a rare and authentic artist whose music is as timeless as he is.

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Lee Rogers began his career writing music and performing in his native Northern Ireland seven nights a week, until he signed a recording and publishing deal with Cambridge based record label ‘Zenith Café’.

 

Lee’s debut album ‘Drawing Clocks’ (produced by Marco Canepa) gained extensive airplay on Radio 2, XM worldspace, Sirius & BFBS amongst many others.  Songs from this album also featured in ‘La Mano De Dios’ [Maradona documentary], TV show ‘Friends & Rivals’ and Hollywood movies including ‘The River King’.

 

‘Drawing Clocks’ was set to be a juggernaut of a release until the ground was shaken for both Lee and Zenith Cafe, when a (now infamous) banking scandal involving HBOS Reading, sadly drew an immediate stop to the project in 2007. 

Lee turned his creativity towards tattooing and let his music take a back seat while he opened up his own studio in Country Antrim in 2008. He lived a hellishly colourful personal life during this time until Zenith Café set the wheels back in motion to pick up where they left off.

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Spring 2020 saw Lee’s return to music and the release of his beautifully haunting cover of The Beegees classic ‘Stayin’ Alive’.

Recording throughout 2021 Lee Rogers took ‘Stayin’ Alive’ and a handful of his more deviant songs and grouped them together for a digital and 10” vinyl EP entitled ‘Dark Notions’, showcasing a collection of twisted tales and sinister moods.

Drawing on the skills of his recently ended tattooing day-job, Rogers himself has created the distinctive artwork for the EP and its associated single releases.

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On his fifth major recording and third official release, Gameblood, Rogers comes across as a tender yet macho Noir outcast, honestly giving musical solidarity to fellow wounded exile-pioneers holding similar relational and existential pain. The experience and talent displayed on this album make him worthy of recognition alongside other leading singer-songwriters.

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Rogers admits that he wasn’t in the greatest of places when he started this album, and its songs have themes of things hard to visit, but that he was able to harness and heal a little through the process. 

Recorded at Sycamore Studios with his regular band (and produced by Gareth Dunlop), Rogers himself describes ‘Gameblood' as “a visit to those hard places that most people put to the back of their psyche and build a wall around. This album is a truer reflection of myself, my stories, where I’ve been and where I hope I am now”.

The result is a thought-provoking and earthy masterpiece.

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Following Gameblood’s extensive radio support in the UK, Rogers joined fellow Northern Irish musician Foy Vance on tour across Europe and USA winning over many more fans and dark folk followers.