 After playing locally for two years, they were spotted by former 60ft Dolls singer Richard Parfitt, who became their manager, and got them a deal with Rough Trade Records.The band released "The Time Is Now", their first EP, in 1999 on Rough Trade.This gained them prominent support from the "New Musical Express" magazine, which hailed them as a "21st Century Joy Division" and "the best new band in the UK", and featured them on its front cover in January 2000.