Pendulum were formed in 2002 by Rob Swire, Gareth McGrillen and Paul "El Hornet" Harding in Perth. Their first individual single release was the double A-side "Spiral" / "Ulterior Motive" in July 2003. The single was only released in New Zealand and did not receive much publicity, but later that year their track "Vault" was met with widespread underground recognition. Soon after, the band relocated to the United Kingdom where they were joined by guitarist Peredur ap Gwynedd, drummerPaul Kodish, and MCBen "the Verse" Mount.
Their first full-length release followed in July 2005 with the album Hold Your Colour. Five singles were produced from the album, including "Slam" / "Out Here", the first single by Pendulum to reach the top forty in the UK Singles Chart. In addition, two non-album singles were released. The first was Pendulum's remix of "Voodoo People" originally by The Prodigy, released on 3 October 2005. It reached number twenty in the UK charts and was the band's most successful single for almost three years. This was followed by "Blood Sugar" / "Axle Grinder", released on 18 June 2007, which was later appended to the reissue of Hold Your Colour due to its popularity.
Pendulum's second album, In Silico, was released in May 2008 to significant commercial success. The album charted at number two in the United Kingdom and at number nine in Australia, and has been certified Platinum in the UK. Four singles have been released from In Silico. The most successful of these is "Propane Nightmares", which reached number nine in the UK Singles Chart and was nominated for Best Single at the Kerrang! Awards 2008 ceremony.
The band's third album titled Immersion was released on 24 May 2010. It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom during its first week of release, marking the band's success. The lead single from the album "Watercolour" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, making it Pendulum's highest-charting single to date. So far, Immersion has been their most successful album based on sales and chart success.