Spacemen 3 were an English
alternative rock band, formed in 1982 in
Rugby, Warwickshire by
Peter Kember and
Jason Pierce. Their music was "colourfully mind-altering, but not in the sense of the acid rock of the 1960s; instead, the band developed its own minimalistic psychedelia" (Stephen Erlewine,
AllMusic). Spacemen 3 came to prominence on the independent music scene around 1989, gaining a cult following. 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 the candid interviews and outspoken views of Kember about
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.