The duo met and performed music since 2002 in various different bands and music projects, eventually forming drum and bass band Pendulum. Two of the three original members created Knife Party as a side project, although it evolved into their primary project. On 25 May 2011, Swire released a short preview on SoundCloud entitled "Not Pendulum". The name is derived from a Deftones song of the same name—which caused consternation at first, as it implied that they supported knife crime—although Swire stated that ". . . we’re not advocating any type of knife-related crime any more than Swedish House Mafia were advocating organised crime. "