The group came about after a group of friends – Joseph Washbourne, Dan Hipgrave, Matt Knight, and Rob Green – were hanging out at their local pub and discovered they agreed on the important matters of beer, women and music, so why not form a band? “We all just ended up in the same pub talking about the same subjects and going off to play in a garage,” said drummer Green. “We just found a garage and that was it.”

After recruiting guitarist Julian Deane, the group was complete and ready to get down to the nitty-gritty of making a record.

One year after forming, Toploader were signed to Sony. The following year, Paul Weller saw them perform and was so impressed he asked the lads to support him on his 1990 tour.

In early 2000, the band released their chart topping single “Dancing In The Moonlight,” which followed their previous hit song “Let The People Know.” Thanks to their funky, feel-good, toe-tapping beats, the songs helped propel the popsters into the U.K. music spotlight.

Toploader’s debut album, Onka’s Big Moka, was released a few months later and shot to No. 5 status in the British charts.