Along with Spacemen 3, Loop, from Croydon, London, England, proved to be the UK's answer to the onslaught of harsh, guitar-wielding acts that dominated the late 80s independent scene. Like the Spacemen, Loop refined fuzz-laden, pulsing guitar riffs, monotonous vocals and distinctive drum patterns to build bruised and intimidating soundscapes. An uncompromising blend of late 60s Detroit rock (Stooges and MC5) and Germany's early 70s avant garde (Can and Faust), the result was a dense, brooding mantra-like noise, not unlike early Hawkwind.

Loop revolved around singer and guitarist Robert Wills (b. Robert Hampson), who formed the band with his wife, drummer Bex, and bassist Glen Ray in 1986. After the garage-like feedback on "16 Dreams" began their recording legacy in 1987, Bex was replaced by John Wills, who introduced a harder, rhythmic sound. This was further strengthened when James Endicott joined as second guitarist, after the reverberating psychedelia of "Spinning" set the scene for Loop's impressive debut, Heavens End, in November. Alongside a cover version of Suicide's "Rocket U.S.A." came a barrage of layered guitar noise, awash with distortion and wah-wah. With a new bassist, Neil McKay, Loop moved to Midlands label Chapter 22 for April 1988"s dynamic "Collision", backed by a cover version of the Pop Group's "Thief Of Fire". After the departure of Endicott, and the Head label's compilation of their singles on The World In Your Eyes in August, Loop released Fade Out in November. Its sparser, more discordant sound pushed the Can influence to the fore. A cover version of Can's hypnotic magnum opus, "Mother Sky", appeared on the b-side of "Black Sun" the following month. After a quiet year, Loop ended 1989 with the powerful "Arc-Lite", their first single for Situation Two and with new guitarist Scott Dawson. Chapter 22 signalled their departure with another collection of two 12-inch singles, but this time, Loop publicly denounced the set. A Gilded Eternity, in 1990, again fared well commercially, and moved further towards ethereal soundscapes and away from the aggression of Fade Out. With only Wolf Flow, a double set of sessions for BBC disc jockey John Peel, appearing in 1991, it was announced that the band had split. Hampson and Scott formed the ambient outfit Main, while McKay and John Wills started the Hair And Skin Trading Company.