Often compared to dark and brooding sounds of such artists as Tom Waits, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Morphine, the London quartet Gallon Drunk originally united in 1990 consisting of members James Johnston (vocals, guitar, organ, piano, harmonica), ryan savage (keyboards, maracas, trumpet), Ian White (drums), and Jeremy Cottingham (bass). Shortly after their formation, the quartet began issuing singles on their own label (Massive), most of which reached the top of the independent charts and were selected as Single of the Week in such acclaimed British music publications as NME and Melody Maker. By 1992, Gallon Drunk was ready to begin issuing full-length recordings, including their studio debut You, the Night...& The Music, in addition to a collection of their aforementioned early singles (Tonite...The Singles Bar) and a live set (Peel Sessions: Clawfist). The buzz grew too loud for the major labels to ignore any longer, as Warner Bros. stepped in and signed the group up, issuing From The Heart Of Town in 1993. The album was nominated for a Mercury Prize the following year, as the group supported the release with tours of Europe, the U.S., and Japan, in addition to a memorable appearance on Jools Holland's Later TV program.

Johnston took some time off from the group the following year, as he and Terry Edwards created a soundscape, Dora Suarez, which was inspired by crime writer Derek Raymond's novel I Was Dora Suarez and resulted in a sold-out live performance of the work at the National Film Theatre on London's South Bank. The same year, Johnston lent his guitar-playing talents to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds for their 1994 spot on the U.S. festival Lollapalooza, which resulted in Johnston collaborating on several songs with Cave (as well as appearing alongside Cave and Kylie Minogue on a Top of the Pops appearance). After returning back to Gallon Drunk, the bandmembers decided to split from Warner Bros., which resulted in contractual red tape that would prevent the group from issuing any new recordings until the end of 1995 (The Traitor's Gate EP, which the group issued on their own), supported by an appearance at the Phoenix Festival and an inaugural tour of Ireland.

1996 saw the release of Gallon Drunk's third studio full-length overall (and first for new label City Slang), In the Long Still Night, which was considered by both fans and press alike to be the group's finest recording yet. Up next for Gallon Drunk was soundtrack work, as they contributed music to a feature film by Nikos Triandafyllidis, titled Black Milk, as well as Geraldine Swayne's East End. Meanwhile, Johnston made his acting debut in 2001 in the Ken Russell horror-comedy The Fall of the Louse Usher, based on Edgar Allen Poe's novel. Johnston issued the single "Hurricane" under the JJ Stone moniker that same year. In 2002, bass player Jeremy Cottingham was added to the group, just prior to Gallon Drunk issuing the vibrant and dark Fire Music.