The leading band of the short-lived Shoegaze genre, Dublin-London quartet My Bloody Valentine released two full-length albums and a series of EPs and mini-LPs from the mid-'80s to 1991. Named for a 1981 horror film, they began as a Noise Rock band, later pioneering the heavily effected, swirling guitar sounds of Shoegaze. Their 1991 album, Loveless, is considered the pinnacle of the genre.
Guitarist Kevin Shields and drummer Colm O'Ciosiog were Dublin teens when they joined the band The Complex in the '70s and they teamed with singer Dave Conway in 1983. In 1984, they recruited Conways girlfriend, Tina, for keyboards and relocated to Holland. By then the group had the name My Bloody Valentine. After relocating to Berlin, they recorded their debut mini-LP, the Post-Punk influenced This Is Your Bloody Valentine. In 1985, the band settled in London. They added bassist Debbie Googe and released two EPs, Geek! and 1986's The New Record By My Bloody Valentine, inspired by The Jesus And Mary Chain.
The group's first release of 1987, the Sunny Sundae Smile EP, showed initial signs of a Shoegaze sound by incorporating the jangly guitars of The Smiths and the airy sounds of Dream Pop into the distortion of Noise Rock. Conway left the band and vocalist and guitarist Belinda Butcher joined. My Bloody Valentine found greater artistic success on their next EP, Strawberry Wine. Their 1987 mini-LP Ecstasy, however, suffered from poor production. The band signed to Creation in 1988, and released two acclaimed EPs, You Made Me Realise and Feed Me With Your Kiss, and their debut full-length, Isn't Anything.
The band spent 1989 in the studio, issuing the highly praised Glider EP in 1990. It was during this time that the term Shoegaze was coined, referencing the tendency of the band to focus their attention downward as they manipulated their effects pedals. In February of 1991, My Bloody Valentine released another critically lauded EP, Tremolo. Finally, in November of that year, the band issued their sophomore LP, the highly influential Shoegaze masterpiece, Loveless. Although the album reached only number 24 in the UK and failed to chart in the US, many rank it among the very best records of the decade.
My Bloody Valentine signed to Island Records in 1992, but, due to the perfectionism of leader Kevin Shields, the band has released only one song since, a 1995 cover of Wire's "Map Ref. 41N 93W." In the meantime, the genre they pioneered, Shoegaze, died out in favor of . Debbie Googe left the band in 1995, leaving the three remaining members in a near-permanent state of hiatus. In early 2007, hopes were rekindled for future releases from My Bloody Valentine when Kevin Shields gave a "100%" probability for the band to record a new album. Perhaps Shoegaze isn't dead after all?