Splitting her early years between England and Singapore, vocalist and songwriter Jessica Griffin established the Would-Be-Goods toward the end of the 1980s following an unplanned encounter with Mike Alway of the Monochrome Set. That introduction led to Griffin supplying commissioned songs and liner notes for El Records, which in turn gave her the platform to cut a debut album of incisive, quintessentially British pop tales supported by the Monochrome Set under the Would-Be-Goods name. The 1988 appearance of the pivotal The Camera Loves Me propelled Griffin and her group—whose roster featured her sister Miranda—into the emerging twee-pop scene, although scant promotional support hindered their progress. Because the band never played concerts, Griffin receded from view and waited five years before issuing another collection, Mondo, in 1992. After spending several years in the fashion industry, she reassembled a fresh Would-Be-Goods lineup that included veteran twee-pop guitarist Peter Momtchiloff, previously of Heavenly, and issued 2002’s Brief Lives alongside a run of live performances that marked a striking resurgence. Drummer Debbie Green, late of Thee Headcoatees, and bassist Lupe Nunez-Fernández of Pipas joined for 2004’s The Morning After. Following Nunez-Fernández’s exit, Andy Warren, who had performed with the Would-Be-Goods during his Monochrome Set tenure, entered the fold and contributed to the 2008 album Eventyr.
