In 1980, drummer Gavan Whelan and bassist Jim Glennie formed a band when they began practicing the Fall and Joy Division songs at Whelan's house. Guitarist Paul Gilbertson joined the pair; the trio went through several vocalists, including Danny Rim and Jenny Ingham. The band went through several name changes: Venereal and the Diseases, Volume Distortion, and Model Team International, before simplifying it to Model Team. In 1982, as they were planning to record a demo with Ingham, the band met Tim Booth while attending the University of Manchester. Booth joined initially as their dancer, before replacing Ingham as their vocalist. They briefly used the name Tribal Outlook, prior to using the moniker James. By the following year, they were making frequent appearances on the local club scene, and supported New Order at The Haçienda club.