Group
Spacemen 3
- From
- Rugby, United Kingdom
- Active
- 1982–1991
- Releases
- 35
- neo-psychedelia
- space rock revival
- drone
About
Spacemen 3 were an English rock band formed in 1982 in Rugby, Warwickshire, by Peter Kember and Jason Pierce, known respectively under their pseudonyms Sonic Boom and J Spaceman. Their music is known for its brand of "trance-like neo-psychedelia" consisting of heavily distorted guitar, synthesizers, and minimal chord or tempo changes.
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The band drew inspiration from acts like the Stooges, the Velvet Underground, and Suicide. Following their debut album Sound of Confusion (1986), Spacemen 3 had their first independent chart hits in 1987, gaining a cult following, and through albums The Perfect Prescription (1987) and Playing with Fire (1989), went on to have greater success towards the end of the decade. However, they disbanded shortly afterwards, releasing their final studio album Recurring 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 Kember's candid interviews and outspoken opinions on recreational drug use. Kember and Pierce were the only members common to all line-ups of the band. Pierce enjoyed considerable success with his subsequent project, Spiritualized. Kember has since found acclaim for his production work with indie artists, most often under the stage name Sonic Boom.
Members
Discography
Albums
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Sound of Confusion Apple Music
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The Perfect Prescription Apple Music
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Playing With Fire Apple Music
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Recurring Apple Music
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Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To Apple Music
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Losing Touch With Your Mind
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For All the Fucked-Up Children of This World, We Give You Spacemen 3
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Forged Prescriptions Apple Music
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Recurring Demos
Singles
Live
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Dreamweapon Apple Music
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Live at the New Morning, Geneva Switzerland (18.05.1989)
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All Fucked Up
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Spacemen Are Go!
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Live in Europe 1989 Apple Music
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Revolution or Heroin
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Dreamweapon Apple Music
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Threebie 3 Apple Music
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Performance Apple Music
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1988-01-11: Rose Club, Cologne, Germany
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1989-05-06 - Forum, Enger, DE
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1989-03-15: Portsmouth Polytechnic, Portsmouth, UK
Links
Listen
Social
Concerts
Also known as
Spaceman 3
Tags
- british
- english
- uk
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 19e818e4-0bbe-41fc-9589-c444b4165bf1
- ISNI
- 0000000115232291
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 14 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.