Formed in Wokingham, Berkshire, England, the five-piece Montrose Avenue featured Robert Lindsey-Clark on vocals and guitar, Scott James handling vocals, guitar, and piano, Paul Williams contributing vocals and guitar, Jimmy Taylor on bass, and Matt Everitt, formerly of Menswear, behind the drums. Critics drawn to their carefully constructed roots rock frequently felt the group merited wider commercial recognition than it received. James and Williams first connected while attending school in Reading, where they began performing as a duo interpreting songs by the Byrds and Moby Grape. An introduction to Lindsey-Clark at a folk club prompted the three musicians to launch Montrose Avenue in 1995. Taylor and Everitt soon completed the lineup, which inked a contract with Columbia Records the next year. The limited edition EP She’s Looking For Me appeared in 1997 and spotlighted the band’s melodic country rock sound together with its refined three-part harmonies. Issued in 1998, the debut album Thirty Days Out built an audience in the Far East yet turned out to be Montrose Avenue’s sole release. James later teamed with the Stereophonics.
