The band met at City of Sunderland College as a quartet consisting of Barry Hyde (vocals and guitar), David "Jaff" Craig (bass), Peter Brewis (drums), and Ross Millard (vocals and guitar). Millard and Craig had been in another local band together before. They used the Sunderland City Detached Youth Project building (where Brewis and Hyde worked) as a free practice space. The project was meant to get young people off the streets by using music. They first performed in 2000. The reputation in the area grew through word-of-mouth. Hyde's younger brother Dave replaced Brewis (who went on to form Field Music).