Spacemen 3

Spacemen 3 formed in Rugby in 1982, Jason Pierce and Pete Kember developing a sound rooted in psychedelic rock and drone music that was immediately minimalist and transcendent. Their music drew on the Velvet Underground, 13th Floor Elevators, and the drone tradition in ways that were deliberately hypnotic and repetitive — a sound that prioritised atmosphere and transcendence over conventional song structure.

'The Perfect Prescription' (1987) was their masterpiece — a record of extraordinary hypnotic power that produced 'Take Me to the Other Side' and 'Walkin' with Jesus' and established them as one of the most important new British acts. 'Playing with Fire' (1989) was equally strong, and their influence on the subsequent shoegaze and drone rock scenes was immense.

Spacemen 3 dissolved acrimoniously in 1991, Pierce going on to form Spiritualized and Kember continuing as Sonic Boom. They are remembered as one of the most important and influential acts of the late-1980s British psychedelic scene — a duo whose minimalist, transcendent sound influenced virtually every subsequent shoegaze, drone rock, and psychedelic act.