The Space Monkeys formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester in 1995, with an original lineup of Richard McNevin-Duff, Tony Pipes, Dom Morrison, and Chas Morrison; guitarist and keyboardist Neil Walsh joined later. Their breakthrough came with the single "Sugar Cane", which peaked at number 58 on the Billboard chart and gained frequent U.S. radio play in its remix form. Signed to Factory Records/Factory Too and Interscope Records, the band toured the United States and Europe, and contributed "Drug Soup" to the soundtrack of the Gwyneth Paltrow film Sliding Doors. The debut album, The Daddy of Them All, was released in 1997. A second album, Escape from the 20th Century, was shelved until 2013 after the collapse of Factory Records. The group disbanded in 2000 but reassembled in 2015, performing at Glastonbury and other festivals. Their third studio album, Modern Actions, arrived in 2020; it was independently produced, featured guests Denise Johnson and Kyla Brox, and was initially funded through a PledgeMusic campaign that failed when the platform went bankrupt, forcing the band to self-fund the project. Since reuniting, The Space Monkeys continued touring, marked a 25th-anniversary show in 2022, and announced a 30th-anniversary performance at Manchester's Band on the Wall in 2025, underscoring their enduring role in the Manchester music scene.
