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Stuart Cable
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Stuart Cable
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Key Information

Stuart James Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010)[1][2][3] was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.

Early life

[edit]

Cable was born in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 19 May 1970. When he was 10, his father died. Thereafter, Cable and his elder brother, Paul,[4] were raised by their mother Mabel (1930–2018)[5] on her own.[1] Cable grew up in the close-knit village of Cwmaman near Aberdare,[6] He attended Blaengwawr Comprehensive School with his friend, Stereophonics singer-songwriter and guitarist Kelly Jones, who also lived on the same street.[3]

Career

[edit]

Stereophonics

[edit]
Main article: Stereophonics

Together with Kelly Jones' school friend Richard Jones (no relation), the trio began playing covers in working men's clubs from 1992, under the name Tragic Love Company. The band later changed their name to Stereophonics in 1996. He also played a number of notable gigs in his native Wales. Of particular note were the concert of 12 June 1998 at Cardiff Castle and the concert of 31 July 1999 at the Morfa Stadium in Swansea, the latter shortly before the stadium was demolished. Both concerts were filmed live and released on VHS and DVD.

Other bands

[edit]

Cable also played for other bands, including as a vocalist for Rhondda band NailBombs. During 1992, they recorded the E.P. "Raw Sex for Breakfast" at Sound Space Studios in Cardiff, on which Cable sang lead vocals. After Cable fully committed to Stereophonics, he was replaced by ex-Rag Dolls frontman J.J.Cruz.

He had been the temporary drummer for hard rock band Stone Gods, which was formed by former members of The Darkness, filling in for Ed Graham during 2008 who had left the band for health reasons.

Cable also drummed in his new Welsh band, Killing for Company,[7] who were the first band to play the new Liberty Stadium in Swansea, supporting The Who.[8][9]

Media career

[edit]
Cable with Alex Zane co-presenting the 2008 XFM Awards

In 2002, Cable was given his own TV chat show, Cable TV, by BBC Wales. He was sacked by Stereophonics in September 2003, because it was claimed he was spending too much time on his new media career at the expense of rehearsals.[8][10] After that, he had another television series of his own, Cable Connects (2005) and had his own radio show on BBC Radio Wales: Cable Rock.[11]

Cable was the spokesperson of a 2002 BBC Wales campaign (called BLLCKS) to raise awareness of testicular cancer.[12]

In 2005, Cable co-hosted the Kerrang! Awards,[13] and also presented two shows on Kerrang! 105.2: the Cable and Caroline Show with Caroline Beavon on Sunday mornings and The Rock 'n' Roll Years on weekday mornings until 2010.[14] In November 2007, he joined XFM South Wales and hosted weekend shows until the station was sold on 30 May 2008. After leaving Kerrang! Radio, in April 2010 Cable returned to BBC Radio Wales as the presenter of Saturday Night Cable, a show playing both old and new rock music. Cable interviewed Slash from Guns N' Roses as a presenter and was scheduled to interview his favourite band, AC/DC, on the weekend following his death, at the Download Festival (where his new band were also scheduled to play).[15]

Personal life

[edit]
Cable live with Killing for Company in May 2010, several weeks before his death

Cable owned a flat in Cardiff Bay, and partly lived in Abernant, before moving to the neighbouring village of Llwydcoed in a Tudor-style house.[16] In 1999, he married Nicola[4] in Bridgend. Their son, Cian Damen, was born in 2001 in Cardiff.[17] In 2003, he had an affair with television presenter Lisa Rogers.[18] Cable claims that it was differences between Rogers and Kelly Jones' partner at the time which violently came to a head publicly at a restaurant in Paris, eventually leading to his dismissal after he made a sarcastic joke about the incident the following day.[19] Around 2003, Cable and his wife divorced.[4] In April 2009 he had spoken out about being sacked from Stereophonics and describes the moment they played in front of 80,000 people in Cardiff without him as "the darkest time of my entire life".[19] He had said, "Until that point in my life, I had never ever considered something as stupid as suicide, but that night I could really understand why people get depressed enough to do it."[19] He patched up his differences with Kelly Jones in 2009 and at the time of his death they were in contact again.[3]

Cable released his autobiography in April 2009, entitled Demons and Cocktails – My Life with the Stereophonics.[20] In his autobiography, he stated that he had been a hard drinker and drug user, particularly whisky and cocaine. He claimed his close friend, Dirty Sanchez star Mathew Pritchard, enjoyed wild parties and drugs.[19] Like former Stereophonics bandmate Richard Jones, he was also a motorcycle enthusiast.

Cable was outspoken about child safety and backed a campaign named Stuart's Campaign, established following the death of Cowbridge schoolboy Stuart Cunningham-Jones, who died aboard a school bus. He had said, "In this day and age every child should have the right to travel to and from school in absolute safety."[21]

Death

[edit]

Cable was found dead at his home in Llwydcoed at 5:30 am on 7 June 2010, aged 40.[1][2] On the evening of 5 June, Stereophonics played in Cardiff;[22] Cable was said to have been presenting on the radio at the same time that Stereophonics were performing.[23] The following day, he began drinking at Welsh Harp Inn in Trecynon. Cable walked home with friends,[3] where he continued drinking and choked to death on his own vomit during his sleep.[23][1]

Cable's funeral was held at St Elvan's Church in Aberdare on 21 June 2010, with his former band mates in attendance. The mourners also included Rob Brydon, Rhys Ifans and some members of Dirty Sanchez. The cortege was led by a black horse-driven cabriolet. He was later cremated.[24][25]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Stuart Cable

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Stuart Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster best known as the co-founder and original drummer of the band . Born in the small mining town of in , Cable grew up alongside future bandmates and Richard Jones, with whom he formed the group in the early 1990s after practicing music together as school friends. His energetic drumming style helped propel to international success, including signing with V2 Records in 1996, winning the Brit Award for Best British Newcomer in 1998, and selling over six million albums worldwide with hits like "." Cable's larger-than-life personality made him the band's charismatic frontman in interviews and public appearances, often embodying the raw, working-class spirit of their Welsh roots. However, tensions arose over his growing media commitments and lifestyle, leading to his departure from in February 2003 amid reports of "commitment issues." Following his exit, he transitioned into broadcasting, hosting shows on , , and XFM, where his enthusiastic and outspoken style resonated with audiences. He also continued performing, drumming for the rock band and later forming Killing for Company, which supported The Who on tour in 2007. In addition to his music career, Cable was an advocate for public health causes, fronting campaigns on child safety and awareness in . His life was marked by personal struggles, including battles with alcohol, which ultimately contributed to his untimely death. On 7 June 2010, Cable was found dead at his home in Llwydcoed, , at the age of 40; an later ruled the cause as accidental on his own vomit due to acute alcohol following a heavy drinking session. His passing prompted tributes from the music industry, highlighting his infectious energy and pivotal role in elevating Welsh rock on the global stage.

Early life

Family and upbringing

Stuart Cable was born on 19 May 1970 in Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. He grew up in the nearby mining village of Cwmaman, a close-knit community shaped by the coal industry that dominated the South Wales valleys. Cable shared his childhood street with future Stereophonics bandmate Kelly Jones, fostering early local ties. Cable was the son of Mabel Cable and an unnamed father who worked in the local industrial sector; his father passed away when Stuart was 10 years old, leaving to raise him and his elder brother Paul alone. The family navigated the economic challenges of the 1970s and 1980s in , a period marked by the declining industry, widespread redundancies, and the severe impacts of the 1984–1985 miners' strike, which led to pit closures and prolonged hardship across Welsh mining communities. These conditions instilled a strong sense of resilience in the working-class environment, where community support was essential amid rising and social strain. From a young age, Cable exhibited an energetic and extroverted personality, traits that defined his larger-than-life character and contributed to his outgoing nature in the tight-knit village setting. He developed interests in local sports, particularly rugby, reflecting the cultural passions of his upbringing in the valleys.

Education and musical beginnings

Cable attended Blaengwawr Comprehensive School in , where he formed a close friendship with and Richard Jones, future collaborators in music. From an early age, Cable developed a strong ambition to become a rock musician, receiving his first as a gift from his widowed mother. He honed his drumming skills by practicing alongside his school friends Kelly and Richard Jones, laying the groundwork for their shared musical pursuits. Cable's initial musical inspirations stemmed from exposure to rock records owned by his elder brother Paul, particularly those by , which ignited his passion for . In his teenage years, this enthusiasm led him to form bands, including Tragic Love Company with the Jones brothers, where they performed cover songs at local workmen's clubs in .

Career

Stereophonics

Stuart Cable co-founded the rock band in 1992 in the village of , , alongside school friends (vocals and guitar) and Richard Jones (bass), initially performing under the name Tragic Love Company. The group, inspired by their favorite bands—The , , and —played in local working men's clubs before renaming themselves Stereophonics in 1996, drawing from an old stereophonic radiogram owned by Cable's father. That same year, they signed with V2 Records, the newly launched label by , marking a pivotal step toward mainstream success. The band's breakthrough came with their debut album, Word Gets Around, released in August 1997, which captured their raw, working-class roots through gritty storytelling and peaked at number six on the . Cable's energetic drumming provided a driving force behind hits like "A Thousand Trees" and "," both of which reached the UK top 10 and showcased the band's blend of anthemic rock and introspective lyrics. Over the next few years, Cable contributed to three more albums: Performance and Cocktails (1999), which topped the chart and featured the global hit ""; (2001), another number-one release emphasizing Cable's powerful, raw percussion on tracks like the Rod Stewart-inspired "Step on My Old Size Nines"; and You Gotta Go There to Come Back (2003), their third consecutive chart-topper. During Cable's tenure, achieved significant milestones, including supporting on their across 15 dates in Europe and the in 2001, exposing the band to massive audiences. They headlined major festivals, notably the Pyramid Stage at in 2002, and their first four collectively sold over six million copies worldwide, establishing them as one of Britain's leading rock acts. Cable's dynamic, high-energy style—characterized by thunderous fills and relentless drive—became a hallmark of their live performances and recordings, contributing to the band's reputation for visceral, stadium-ready rock. Cable departed from Stereophonics in September 2003 after being sacked by Jones and Richard Jones, primarily due to growing tensions over his lifestyle differences and substance issues, which had led to reliability concerns during tours and recording sessions. The split was described as amicable at the time, though relations later became strained; Cable later reflected on it as a result of the band's evolving dynamics and his personal struggles.

Other musical projects

After leaving Stereophonics in 2003, Cable briefly lost interest in drumming but later rekindled his passion through guest appearances and new band commitments. In 2008, he served as a temporary for , a band formed by former members of The Darkness, filling in for their regular drummer Robin Goodridge during a period of lineup changes; the group released their debut album Silver Spoons and Broken Bones that year, and Cable participated in live performances. Cable's most significant post-Stereophonics project was with the Welsh rock band Killing for Company, which he joined in the mid-2000s and for which he expressed particular enthusiasm as a return to his roots in straightforward, energetic . The band made their notable debut as the opening act for The Who at the newly opened Liberty Stadium in in June 2007, marking the venue's first concert and showcasing Cable's dynamic live drumming style. Killing for Company focused on developing original material, with Cable contributing to rehearsals and recordings for a planned debut album that emphasized themes of Welsh working-class life and rock traditions. By early 2010, the band had completed several tracks, including the song "Former Mining Town," which Cable particularly championed for its personal resonance; following his death, the group released it as a tribute single in July 2010, with proceeds benefiting the and Tŷ Hafan children's hospice. The band was scheduled to perform at the in June 2010, highlighting Cable's ongoing commitment to live rock performances. Throughout the mid-2000s, Cable participated in occasional festival appearances and session drumming opportunities within the Welsh rock scene, maintaining his connections to local acts while balancing his growing broadcasting career. These endeavors allowed him to explore a more intimate, community-oriented side of music-making, distinct from the arena-scale success of his earlier years.

Broadcasting and media work

Cable began his broadcasting career while still a member of , debuting as the host of the Wales chat show Cable TV in , which featured a mix of interviews, music performances, and live segments with guests such as and Lulu. He continued this work after leaving the band in 2003, expanding into radio with in 2004, where he presented Cable Rock, a program dedicated to that highlighted both established acts and emerging artists. In 2005, Cable hosted the television series Cable Connects for BBC Wales, focusing on music and entertainment connections, and co-presented the Kerrang! Radio Awards, showcasing his engaging on-air presence in the rock scene. His radio career grew further with evening slots on stations like XFM South Wales and , where he played a variety of rock tracks and conducted interviews that often emphasized Welsh musical talent. Cable's style was marked by his humorous, unfiltered commentary and larger-than-life personality, which resonated with audiences and helped promote up-and-coming Welsh artists through curated playlists and on-air features. By 2010, Cable had returned to to host Saturday Night Cable, a weekend program blending classic and contemporary tracks, and played a key role in co-hosting the inaugural Day event on St David's Day, which celebrated across the airwaves. This media work allowed him to leverage his drumming background for expert insights into discussions, maintaining his influence in the industry. His 2009 autobiography, Demons and Cocktails: My Life with the , was promoted through various media appearances and interviews, further extending his public profile as a broadcaster.

Personal life

Relationships and family

Cable married his childhood sweetheart, Nicola Damen, in 1999 in , . Their son, Cian, was born in 2001 in . The couple divorced in December 2002, a period Cable later described as the darkest of his life, exacerbated by the mounting pressures of ' rising fame and extensive touring schedule. Following the divorce, Cable began a relationship with Welsh Lisa Rogers in 2003, which lasted approximately two years and initially overlapped with the end of his marriage. The high-profile nature of the affair drew media scrutiny, contributing to strains in his personal life amid the band's internal tensions. In the mid-2000s, Cable entered a long-term relationship with Rachel Jones, which continued until his death in 2010. As a father, Cable was known for his devotion to Cian, often prioritizing family time despite his demanding career; he spoke fondly of fatherhood as "a pretty cool thing" and balanced international tours by returning home to spend moments with his son, such as outings to local rugby clubs. Cian showed early interest in music, influenced by his father's profession, and Cable expressed pride in sharing his passion for drumming with him. Following Cable's death, Cian inherited over £500,000 from his estate in 2011. As of 2025, Cian has loaned his father's drum kit to the Cynon Valley Museum, preserving his legacy. Cable maintained strong bonds with his family throughout adulthood, particularly with his mother, , who had raised him and his elder brother, Paul, after their father's death when Cable was 10. During career setbacks, including his 2003 dismissal from , his mother and brother provided emotional support, helping him reintegrate into local life in while he pursued broadcasting and new musical ventures. Paul, in particular, remained a close confidant, sharing Cable's love of from their youth. The fame from briefly strained these familial ties due to time apart, but Cable's return to the area in later years strengthened them.

Health challenges

During the late 1990s, while on tour with Stereophonics, Cable developed a dependency on alcohol, often combining it with cocaine in a pattern of heavy consumption that led to blackouts and erratic behavior. He later described in his 2009 autobiography Demons and Cocktails how post-show nights frequently involved downing large quantities of beer, shorts, and Scotch until the early hours, exacerbating his "hard-living" lifestyle. Following his departure from the band in 2003, Cable experienced severe depression, which he characterized as "the darkest time of my entire life," during which he contemplated and felt profoundly isolated. This period of struggle was compounded by his and a sense of disillusionment with the music industry, leading him to abstain from drumming for 18 months. Although specific details on or rehab in 2004–2005 are not publicly detailed, Cable publicly admitted in interviews to seeking ways to cope with the emotional toll of fame, including its isolating effects and tensions with former bandmates over creative control and commitment. Cable made efforts toward recovery, achieving periods of sobriety around 2007–2008 while focusing on his radio presenting role at XFM , which provided stability and a renewed sense of purpose. However, his recounts patterns of relapse, such as resuming use just three days after vowing to quit following a near-fatal overdose, highlighting ongoing battles with . These health challenges influenced his decision to leave , as his substance use and media pursuits strained band dynamics.

Death and legacy

Death

On 7 June 2010, Stuart Cable was found dead at his home in Llwydcoed, , at the age of 40. His girlfriend, Rachel Jones, discovered him unconscious on the kitchen floor after flagging down his cousin, Aaron Cable, in the early morning; she had left him sleeping on the carpet the previous night following a social gathering. Emergency services were called around 05:30 BST, with paramedics arriving shortly thereafter, but Cable was pronounced dead at the scene. A post-mortem examination revealed the as on his own vomit, resulting from acute alcohol poisoning after a three-day drinking session. His blood alcohol level was measured at 407 microgrammes per 100 millilitres—over five times the legal driving limit of 80 microgrammes—exacerbated by his history of alcohol issues. An inquest held on 19 October 2010 at Coroner's Court returned a verdict of , with Peter Maddox ruling out any evidence of foul play or suspicious circumstances. tests confirmed no involvement of drugs or other substances beyond alcohol.

Tributes and posthumous recognition

Cable's funeral took place on 21 June 2010 at St Elvan's Church in , , drawing thousands of mourners and bringing the town to a standstill as fans lined in tribute. The service was a rock'n'roll affair, featuring high-decibel and attended by bandmates and Richard Jones, alongside celebrities such as , , and . Following the church ceremony, a private family cremation occurred at Llwydcoed Crematorium. Tributes poured in from peers and the music community, highlighting Cable's charismatic personality and contributions. frontman described Cable as "a brother to us and a big friend," reflecting on their deep bond forged in childhood and the band's early days. Wales responded with special programming, including the Radio Wales tribute "Stuart Cable in His Own Words," aired on the day of his death, which featured archival audio of the broadcaster discussing his life and career. A biography titled Stuart Cable: From Cwmaman to the Stereophonics and Beyond by Jeff Collins, published in 2010, provided an in-depth account of Cable's journey from his roots in to international fame, incorporating interviews and personal reflections that captured his vibrant spirit. Cable is recognized posthumously as a key figure in Welsh , often celebrated as an icon for his role in elevating the to global success and his energetic broadcasting style that championed emerging talent. His influence endures among local drummers inspired by his raw, passionate playing and aspiring broadcasters who emulated his engaging on-air presence on . Following his death, albums saw renewed interest, contributing to the band's ongoing commercial achievements, with over 10 million records sold worldwide by the mid-2010s. Cable's legacy includes annual reflections on events like Wales Music Day, where he had been a prominent participant in promoting Welsh artists during its inaugural edition in . While early coverage often focused on his drumming, recent efforts have addressed gaps by emphasizing his radio work in spotlighting Welsh talent through shows like Saturday Night Cable. Archival clips from his broadcasts and documentaries, such as the 2025 YouTube tribute "Stuart Cable: The Beat of ," now highlight this aspect of his career, underscoring his lasting impact on the Welsh music scene. In June 2025, on the 15th anniversary of his , fans and media shared tributes on , including footage from his , highlighting his lasting impact. His also prompted broader discussions within the music industry about the challenges of faced by performers.

References

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  2. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-11568867
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  8. https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/walesmusic/2010/06/stuart-cable-1970-2010.shtml
  9. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/phonics-kelly-jones-recalls-great-1912850
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  35. https://www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/showbiz/becoming-father-pretty-cool-thing-1912032
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  49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwzOPDzxDc0
  50. https://www.facebook.com/groups/januaryrees/posts/10162500817892226/
  51. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-65262776
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