Harrop and Brown's mutual interest in old cinema and 70s rock inspired them to form a new band and start writing songs.
Smiley, a mutual acquaintance of Brown and Harrop, was asked to drum, introducing a darker feel to the sound, and another design school student, Ben Fraser, a trained jazz musician, was called in to play bass.
It gained considerable air play in each country and was placed on rotation by John Peel on his Radio 1 programme.
[2] In mid-2003, the band made its first trip to America, playing 3 weeks of shows in Los Angeles and New York.
In late 2003, one week before an East Coast Australian tour with American band Modey Lemon, Two Lane Blacktop decided to split up.