Spacemen 3

Spacemen 3 were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of "minimalistic psychedelia".

The band were gaining a cult following, and going on to have greater success towards the end of the decade. However, they disbanded shortly afterwards, releasing their final studio album post-split in 1991 after an acrimonious parting of ways.

They gained a reputation as a 'drug band' due to the members' drug-taking habits and Kember's candid interviews and outspoken opinions on recreational drug use. Kember and Pierce were the only members common to all line-ups of the band. Both founding members have enjoyed considerable success with their respective subsequent projects: Sonic Boom/Spectrum and Spiritualized.

Links to Peel
Peel didn't seem to be enthused by Spacemen 3's debut single, including playing snippets of their EP, sporadically throughout his 03 December 1986 show, to illustrate sarcastically that their songs are too long. However, later material gained some airplay, including Peel's listeners voting Hypnotized in the 1989 Festive Fifty. When the group split and Jason Pierce formed Spiritualized, Peel was more enthusiastic about his project, playing substantial material from the band, where he invited them to do sessions for his show, which they did.

Festive Fifty Entries

 * 1989 Festive Fifty: Hypnotized #33

Shows Played

 * 1986
 * 03 December 1986: snippets of their Walkin' With Jesus EP
 * 1987
 * 07 January 1987: 2:35 (album - Sound Of Confusion) Glass
 * Spacemen 3 Hypnotized Full Version
 * 22 March 1989: Come Down Softly To My Soul (album - Playing With Fire) Fire
 * 06 July 1989: Hypnotized (12" - Hypnotized / Just To See You Smile) Fire
 * 21 December 1989: 'Hypnotized (7 inch)' (Fire) FF #33
 * 1991
 * 27 January 1991: Big City (7") Fire Records
 * 16 February 1991 (BFBS): 'Big City (Waves Of Joy) demo (12")' (Fire)
 * 03 March 1991: Just To See You Smile (album - Recurring) Fire
 * 1999
 * 31 March 1999: I Believe It (2xLP: Playing With Fire) Space Age
 * 14 September 1999: Revolution (single, 1988) Fire