Their name came about after a nights drinking in the Blues Basement (now the Basenment) the evening before they were due to play their first show in an apartment in Claremont Crescent Edinburgh.

After the group opened for the Happy Mondays, Shaun Ryder's father suggested that they send in a demo tape.

Having felt at odds with the contemporary Scottish music scene, the Wendys found a common spirit among the Factory Records roster, saying they shared similar influences as their labelmates but still wanted to be known as their own distinct band.

[2] Although they enjoyed critical acclaim with the release of their debut album Gobbledygook in 1991 (produced by Ian Broudie), they did not achieve the widespread popularity of labelmates such as New Order or the Happy Mondays.

On 4 February 2012, the band reformed for a one-off gig at the Berkeley Suite, Glasgow to promote the re-release of their Factory album Gobbledygook and other singles.