Owen Williams and George Nicholls were long time friends who formed the indie noise band Joanna Gruesome in 2010 and achieved some cult success.

They initially claimed that they formed The Tubs in 2018 after Williams and Nicholls were trapped in a Welsh caravan park in a storm and started writing songs to pass the time, but later admitted this wasn't true.

[2] The band was fleshed out with additional guitarist Steve Stonholt, drummer Matthew Green and (also ex-Joanna Gruesome) bassist Max Warren.

[3] The band slimmed to a four piece and their debut album Dead Meat was released in January 2023 on Trouble In Mind records, receiving generally positive reviews.

The collective's work extends to running a music studio, video production and even a publishing imprint for poetry and lyrics.