Formed in London in 1983 by John Balance as a solo side project to Psychic TV, Coil developed into a full-scale musical group in 1984, when Balance cemented a partnership with Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson. Christopherson had been a founder of Psychic TV and member of Throbbing Gristle. For over twenty years Coil would be at the forefront of European experimentalism and electronic music.