Long before he started drumming with The Cult, Lez Warner was obsessed with rhythm and power. Born and raised in the Fulham area of London, Warner's dream was to follow in the footsteps of Thin Lizzy' Brian Downey.



He bought his first drum kit at age 13, and first performed live in a high school production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." After that, there was no stopping him, he played with three or four bands at a time, sometimes playing with two different bands per night, and became the drum king of London's club scene. When punk rock exploded in 1976, his steamhammer style - described as Stewart Copeland's handiwork and John Bonham's pedal power - was perfect for punk and versatile enough for other musical styles, and Warner did sessions with everyone from Sham 69 and Johnny Thunders to The Waterboys and Julian Lennon.



Touring followed, with an extensive Pan-European trip with Spirit's Randy California.



In 1985, The Cult were looking for a permanent drummer, replacing Nigel Preston and his temporary successor Mark Brzezicki. After auditioning 100 young hopefuls and experienced veterans, they called Lez, and he became the rhythm powerhouse for the Cult's golden age - the three years following the release of the "Love" album. He drummed on the "Electric" album and on the recently released "Manor Session", and toured the world in support of both the "Love" and "Electric" albums, appearing on "Saturday Night Live", "Joan Rivers Show", "Top of the Pops" and a host of other television shows around the globe.



In 1988, Warner quit The Cult to pursue his own projects. He was replaced by Mickey Curry. Warner spent time in Africa playing and learning native rhythms, fusing them with his own rock solid style, and indulging his photography habit. Back in London, Warner played with members of Jesus Jones, and formed a band called The Hellfire Club with lifelong friend Paul Raven, the Killing Joke and current Prong bassist.



In 1991, Warner relocated to New York City and announced his arrival with a guest appearance during a "Spinal Tap" performance at the Beacon Theatre. He went on to jam with Steve Stevens, Jo Lynn Turner, members of Bob Dylan's band and others, and recorded an album with , a Southern rock band signed to American Records. In New York, Warner expanded his repertoire to commercial soundtracks, drumming on the Sega Genesis "Mortal Kombaat" TV theme, a Miller Lite TV and radio campaign, and numerous other commercials. During the late '90s, Warner found himself maintaining dual-residency in both the London and New York music scenes as a session drummer. He continued his contributions to Ten Wings Music through his work with Motorbaby, and began working with up-and-coming New York rock band Queen V on Skyhigh Records.



In early 2002, Warner went on to expand his musical horizons when he joined the traditional Irish group, The McCabes. The McCabes breed of blistering Irish jibs and reels allowed Warner to experiment with new dimensions of sound and style, broadening his array of already accomplished and varied chops. The band performed on the popular Irish circuit of summer festivals, including a performance at Shea Stadium – the same stage of the Beatles record-breaking performance in 1965. Warner's performance with The McCabes was captured on their limited edition live release, The McCabes at Paddy Reilly's.



Warner continues to work in L.A., New York, and London hammering down tracks for various recording artists. He has also established a studio near his home in Las Vegas, creating a comfortable recording environment for the performers in his production company, US-UK Music West Coast. His latest work can be found on Downtown Recording's production of the new Nickie Seven album.