The band was formed in the mid-1990s by Hutt Valley school friends Small, Tilby, Fisher and Gallagher, with the addition of Johnson.
[3] The band toured throughout New Zealand for seven months in 1998, eventually appearing as support on the Exponents Summer Tour, where their live show captured the attention of Sony Music NZ who signed the band a few weeks after its end.
Andrew Tilby won the "Tui" as Most Promising Male Vocalist at the 1999 New Zealand Music Awards.
[7] Breathe disbanded in 2001 when drummer Guy Fisher decided to leave the band.
[8] The remaining members formed Dead End Beat, who released a self-titled album in 2004.