in January 2008, a live duo was formed between Gray and classical guitarist, Robin Watson. Watson was at the time a member of the British-Japanese outfit, Eden Rogue, with the Tokyo label, Suzuki Records. They were joined by Damien Cavanagh, former drummer with the British prog-indie group, Circulus, played the cajón in the trio due to the acoustic nature of the band. Hemlock Music and Shipwrecked EP The band won the Gaijin Sounds songwriting award in April 2008 for the song, "How The Story Ends". This attracted the attention of Australian music producer, Paul Morgan, who then invited them to record at his Medici Studios and set up Hemlock Music to promote the band. The resulting recording, Shipwrecked, was produced by ARIA-nominated, Mike Stangel, at the studio in Melbourne in August 2008. The band released their debut EP, Shipwrecked, on November 7, 2008, in Ebisu, Tokyo. I Should've Stopped There To increase the band's songwriting profile, the group released a collection of early recordings, I Should've Stopped There. The cover, designed by Rob Moore, featured "The Angel of Sorrow", from a mural in Valencia, Spain. Although the lyrical and vocal strength of the collection had initially been enough to kickstart the band's initial success, with songs such as the 1950s swing number, "Guatemala", and the harmony rich gospel song, "Jordan River", the album received mixed reaction due to the poor quality production and some mediocre album tracks. The Crocodile Club, Harajuku 2009–2010 In April 2009, the band won another Gaijin Sounds award, this time for "One More Chance". The increased exposure saw the band secure a monthly residency at The Crocodile Club, a former rockabilly hangout in Harajuku with their regular UK-Japan Night. During this period, Hemlock Music arranged international support acts such as Afro-American kalimba artist, Kevin Spears; world music from Arabiki-Beat, and the Austin-based country singer, Jackie Bristow. The band also used the club to record live recordings and debut new songs, including The Veil Has Been Lifted, Who Loves The Lonely, and their most popular song, Six Feet Under. Antidote The proposed ethos of Hemlock music was that Tokyo bands would be able fund recordings through live receipts. The first planned album was to be Antidote, which according to Gray, was to be a showcase of the band's diversity. Songs were written in a mix of genres such as country-inspired, Letters from Tijuana; the blues number, Swingin';