Formed in Reading

Slowdive were formed in Reading , England, by Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell in October 1989. The two sang and played guitar, and had been friends since they were 6 years old. At a Sunday youth group, they began making music in an indie pop band called the Pumpkin Fairies, with bassist Mike Cottle and drummer Adrian Sell. When the Pumpkin Fairies disbanded, Slowdive formed, also including drummer Adrian Sell and Sell’s friend, bassist Nick Chaplin. A third guitarist named Christian Savill, previously of the band Eternal, joined when he became the only person to answer an advert from the band. The ad called for a female guitarist, but Savill wanted to join so badly he offered to wear a dress. He was subsequently recruited. The name “Slowdive” was inspired by a dream Chaplin experienced, and a conversation he had with Goswell, who mentioned ” Slowdive “, the name of a single by one of her favourite bands, Siouxsie and the Banshees . Goswell later said that she was outvoted for the choice of the name in the end.