Formed in London in 1998 by Lloyd James (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Joanne Owen (bass, accordion),[1] Naevus were often categorised as part of the 'neofolk' genre.

[1][2] The band released four albums between 1999 and 2004 before expanding to a four-piece with the addition of John Murphy (drums) and Greg Ferrari (electric guitar).

[1] Their first album with the expanded line-up was Silent Life, which was a critical success, and included contributions from members of Urge Within, Sieben, and Current 93.

The seventh Naevus album, The Division of Labour, was completed by Lloyd James as a solo effort and was released in May 2012.

The EP Backsaddling was released in 2014, followed by the eighth and ninth Naevus studio albums, Curses and Time Again, in 2018 and 2020 respectively.