Formed by schoolmates Luke Morley and Danny Bowes (with Mac McKenzie and Chris Hussey) in South London, by 1983 the two friends had switched to bassist Nick Linden and drummer Gary "Harry" James (added to Morley's guitar and Bowes' voice) and changed their name from Nuthin' Fancy to Terraplane. Soon after, they independently released "I Survive," a single whose popularity earned them a record deal from Epic.