[1] They first signed to Damaged Goods (the label that released the Manic Street Preachers' first official single).

Their second, "Baby Oil Applicator"[2] created more of a buzz and Steve Lamacq made it his single of the week on Radio 1.

They recorded their debut album English and French (originally entitled Cause I Rock), produced by Bernard Butler after he left Suede.

The album was released during the peak of Britpop, which caused inevitable comparisons to other English female-fronted bands of the time such as Sleeper, who were frequently slated by music papers such as NME and Melody Maker.

Singles released off the album included "Bad Kid" and "Wasted," which were melodic pop punk anthems; they did well on the UK indie charts, but did not enjoy the mainstream success of other guitar bands of the time.