I Am Kloot were formed from the ashes of The Mouth, a band co-fronted by John Bramwell and Bryan Glancy. Bramwell, who was born and brought up in Hyde, Cheshire, had previously played with bands including The Face Brothers (a band he was kicked out at the age of 18), The Ignition, Five Go Off To Play Guitar and The Debuchias, and performed solo as Johnny Dangerously. Peter Jobson moved from Morpeth, Northumberland to Manchester to study at Salford College (where he graduated with a BA Hons in Popular Music and Recording) and befriended Bramwell at The Night and Day Café, where they both ended up working for several years booking bands. Bramwell also ran an acoustic night at the venue called "Acoustica Mancunia" (and would continue hosting acoustic nights Gecko and Palookaville whilst the band got established). Jobson first saw Bramwell play at Castlefield Arena in central Manchester on 15 June 1996, the day of the IRA Bomb and ended up joining The Mouth who had released one single "Bang" the previous year, replacing the band's original bassist Simon Burns. The band split with Glancy after he went on holiday a week before a tour and didn't return for three weeks, began working on Bramwell's songs and changed their name to I Am Kloot.