Catherine Wheel was created in England's East Anglia by Rob Dickinson (vocals/guitar), Brian Futter (guitar), Dave Hawes (bass) and Neil Sims (drums) in 1990. The group debuted two singles, "She's My Friend" and "Painful Thing" on small, indie Norwich label Wilde Club and earned a spot on John Peels' BBC show. Notorious producer and "non-musician" Brian Eno caught a glimpse of Catherine Wheel on the show and called the band's manager, eventually offering them a deal with his then-label Opal. Catherine Wheel passed on Eno's offer and others, ultimately signing with label Fontana, which had a licensing deal with Mercury in the U.S.

Catherine Wheel contacted Talk Talk's Tim Friese-Greene when beginning work on their album and Greene soon became the band's fifth Wheel. Blockbuster single "Black Metallic" propelled Catherine Wheel's first release, Effort in their native country. 1993's Chrome followed with U.S. alternative radio hit "Crank" which featured engineer Gil Norton. The group's subsequent tour resulted in the rock heavy Happy Days in 1995 and although Catherine Wheel fans weren't into the new sound, "Waydown" was a new-metal radio hit in the U.S. In the midst of criticism for favoring the U.S. over their native Britain, Catherine Wheel released 1996's Like Cats and Dogs and 1997's Adam and Eve, an album intended to be listened to in its entirety, much to chagrin of the modern music audience.

2000's Wishville saw Catherine Wheel with Columbia (the band split with Mercury) and without bassist Dave Hawes. While the other members covered for Hawes in the recoding of Wishville, Ben Ellis was eventually brought on full-time. Catherine Wheel took a break from making music after touring for Wishville and the band, who made a name for itself as one of the most intense, alternative band of the ‘90s, continues to remain missing.