tˈaʊnʃɛnd bɪɡˈæn hɪz kɚɹˈɪɹ baɪ wˈɜːkɪŋ æt tɹˈaɪdənt stˈuːdɪˌoʊz ɪn lˈʌndən ɪnðə lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi z, ᵻvˈɛntʃuːəli wˈɜːkɪŋ æz ɐn ɐsˈɪstənt ˌɛndʒɪnˈɪɹ fɔːɹ ˈælən mˈoʊldɚ ænd mˈɑːɹk spˈaɪk stˈɛnt.
Townshend began his career by working at Trident Studios in London in the late 1980s, eventually working as an assistant engineer for Alan Moulder and Mark 'Spike' Stent.