Payne was born in Liverpool and spent some of his teenage years in New York City before returning home with his family and forming The Magic Clock in 1992[6][7] before fronting later bands the Windmills (with future Cast drummer Keith O'Neill), Telefone and Blueseed.

In 2002, Payne formed the Stands with various local musicians before settling on the lineup of Luke Thomson, Steve Pilgrim and Dean Ravera.

[13] In 2014, Payne began co-managing Neon Waltz, a band from Caithness with former Oasis manager Marcus Russell[14] and produced several tracks on their debut album Strange Hymns.

In September 2016, Payne toured the UK for the first time in several years before releasing a vinyl edition of his solo LP Bright Light Ballads via Pledge Music.

[16] In October 2017, Payne released his second solo album, Mountain with singles "The Brightest Star" and "Hold Steady the Wire".