Slowdive were a shoegazing band formed in 1989, lasting until 1995. The band was formed in Reading, Berkshire, England and soon signed to Creation Records in the UK. The band consisted of Neil Halstead (vocals/guitar), Rachel Goswell (vocals/guitar), Nick Chaplin (bass), Christian Savill (guitar), Adrian Sell (drums, 1989), Simon Scott (drums, 1990 until early 1994) and Ian McCutcheon (drums, 1994 onwards). Goswell and Halstead had known each other since early childhood in Reading, Berkshire, when Goswell was an obsessive fan of The Smiths. When Savill and Chaplin left the band after the release of Pygmalion, the remaining members renamed the band Mojave 3.
The band claims it did not take its name from the Siouxsie & The Banshees song "Slowdive," but rather from a dream that bassist Chaplin had. Initial demos were released as the Slowdive EP in late 1990; the band's dreamlike sound was influenced by the Cocteau Twins and Creation labelmates My Bloody Valentine, featuring heavy use of guitar effects and subdued vocals. Reviews in Melody Maker and the NME were enthusiastic, and two further well-regarded EPs followed in 1991. Debut album Just For a Day was written and recorded in six weeks, and reached the UK top forty. It also received some play on alternative and college radio stations in the U.S., such as WHFS.
