They formed in 1995 in Suffolk, England. The original line up was the three brothers: Jason Perry (Vocals), Adam Perry (Drums) and Giles Perry (Keyboard), with two friends Mark Chapman (Guitar) and Steve Swindon (Bass). Swindon quit the band in 1997 and was replaced by Daniel P. Carter.

After changing their name from 'Grand Designs' and abandoning their early progressive-inspired sound for a more punky feel, they released their début album "How Ace Are Buildings" in 1997.

The second album; "A vs. Monkey Kong", followed in 1999. Monkey Kong was a more poppy record than How Ace Are Buildings and the band toured the world, played festivals and enjoyed a small degree of success worldwide, especially in Germany.

Hi-Fi Serious was their third album, released in 2002. It was preceded by their biggest single to date, "Nothing", which saw the band reach the UK top ten for the first time, eventually hitting number 9. Starbucks was also a top 20 hit, named after the coffee chain.

The tour following Hi-Fi Serious saw the band playing their largest venues to date, headlining the 5000 capacity Brixton Academy as part of the Inner-City Sumo Tour. 'A' finally released their fourth album on June 27th 2005, entitled "Teen Dance Ordinance". The album had been recorded 2 years earlier, but due to Jason Perry's illness and record company squabbles its release was heavily delayed, by which time the group's following appears to be a mere cult once again. In 2006, Warner dropped 'A' from their record label, citing poor sales.

'A' then went on hiatus from 2006-2008, but have now returned, playing a few shows supporting The Wildhearts. They will be writing new material and hope to release an album in 2009. With this new era for the band the lineup has changed with bassist Daniel P. Carter not returning to the band and has been replaced by John Mitchell of It Bites.