Artist

Spacemen 3

1982-1991·Rugby

Spacemen 3 came out of Rugby playing a minimalist, droning strain of psychedelia that revived 1960s space rock in stripped-down, hypnotic form—records like Sound of Confusion (1986) laid groundwork the Thames Valley scene would later build on. Their stage presence was as important as their sound: motionless, inward, indifferent to performance. Peter Kember later admitted the band "could be called a shoegaze band" on that basis alone. They split in 1991, just as the genre they'd helped seed was reaching its peak.

At a glance

Active
1982–1991
From
Rugby, UK

In the issues

  • Shoegaze and Dreampop
    An influence · 1982-1997

    Shoegaze and Dreampop is a genre from Thames Valley and London, UK, 1982–1997. Its principal artists include My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride and Cocteau Twins. This issue covers 10 essential albums and 16 dated events.

Terms

Space rock
A psychedelic rock subgenre marked by long instrumental passages, heavy use of reverb and delay, droning repetition, and themes evoking outer space.