Sugarcult formed in Santa Barbara, California, in 1998 as an alternative rock quartet whose members—vocalist and guitarist Tim Pagnotta, guitarist Marko DeSantis, bassist Airin Older, and original drummer Ben Davis—adopted a name previously used by the lesbian neighbors living next door. Their debut performance, delivered as a trio, came when they opened for Superdrag at a nearby venue, an event that introduced them to DeSantis, a musician already experienced with the Ataris, Nerf Herder, and Swingin' Utters; he soon transitioned from spectator to full member. The group issued its first album, Start Static, on Ultimatum in 2001, generating attention through the tracks "Stuck in America" and "Bouncing Off the Walls." An initial two-week booking on that summer’s Warped Tour extended to the full eight weeks after crowds responded with unexpected enthusiasm. The DVD Action surfaced in 2002, the same year Davis departed and was succeeded on drums by Kenny Livingston, previously of Lefty. After signing with Fearless Records, the band released Palm Trees and Power Lines in 2004, an album that reached the top of Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart. A live CD/DVD titled Back to the Disaster followed in 2005. Further road work included opening slots on Green Day’s American Idiot tour, headline status on the 2005 Take Action Tour, and appearances on the main stages of Warped Tour plus Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival and the United Kingdom’s Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds festivals. Lights Out, issued on V2 in September 2006, marked the quartet’s most cohesive recording to that point.
