Led by visionary Kevin Shields, my bloody valentine is one of the most unique bands of the alt-rock era and the pioneers of Britain’s late-Eighties dream-pop scene, evolving under the name of shoegaze.

The band consists of Kevin Shields as lead vocalist and guitar, Colm Ó Cíosóig on drums, Bilinda Butcher on guitar & backing vocals, and Debbie Googe on bass. However, mbv’s groundbreaking concoction of discordant effects and fragile melodies live forever influential on fuzzy rock falls most notably from the mind of Kevin Shields.

In 1978, Shields and Cíosóig met each other at a karate tournament and became fast friends. They had a mad dash to create a band together, being inspired by their favorite post-punk bands. They formed the group with lead vocalist David Conway, who suggested the name “My Bloody Valentine,” amongst others. However, he eventually left under ambitions to become a writer, leaving Shields to fill that central role.

Although the name of the band was likely inspired off of the 1981 Canadian slasher film, Shields had no idea it existed at the time of the band’s formation, and later called it “a really really crap terrible Canadian film.”