Overland's nearly 50-year career began in his home region of East Anglia, where he and his brother Chris formed the band Wildlife in 1980.
[3] The band moved labels to the Led Zeppelin owned Swan Song Records for their 1983 self-titled follow up album,[4] which featured Simon Kirke on drums.
[7] This 1986 to 1989 period saw the band at their commercial peak, scoring minor UK Chart hits with "Frozen Heart", "Bad Luck", and the non-album release, "Let Love Be The Leader".
[8] The band toured as headline artists, as well as undertaking support slots with Bon Jovi, Tina Turner and Meat Loaf.
This was the first album to feature ex-Visage and ASAP guitarist Andy Barnett, Chris Overland having left the band after the Tough It Out tour.
[6] The band then signed to the Raw Power label to record Dead Man's Shoes, which featured new keyboard player, Jem Davis.
In November 2023 it was announced that Overland (the band) would perform at Firefest Festival (10 Years After) to be held in the UK at Manchester Academy on 11-13 October 2024.