Formed in 1981 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and drummer Budgie, both of course members of Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Creatures’ music, initially based on drums and voice, evolved over the years since their beginning. Their first EP, Wild Things (1981), and their debut album, Feast (1983), were both critically praised as the band embraced exotica while keeping percussion as the main instrument. On their second album, Boomerang (1989), also widely critically acclaimed, the duo married their music with blues and jazz. In the late 1990s, they developed a more urban sound on Anima Animus (1999); The Times then described their music as “adventurous art rock built around Siouxsie’s extraordinary voice and drummer Budgie’s battery of percussion.”
When Siouxsie and the Banshees disbanded in 1996 after 20 years of working together, The Creatures had already begun composing new material. At the same time, the long-out-of-print Wild Things EP and Feast album were remastered and re-released through the compilation A Bestiary Of (1997).
In February 1998, former Velvet Underground member John Cale contacted The Creatures regarding a collaboration. They performed shows together and appeared on UK television as a three-piece.
From June to August ’98, the pair toured the United States as a double bill with Cale, playing yet-unreleased material; Siouxsie and Cale also sang several songs together each night. The LA Times reviewed the tour as an “inventive, spirited show”, saying: “Cale and the Creatures’ inspired performance struck a perfect balance.”