Mike & The Mechanics formed in 1985 as a side project of Genesis member Mike Rutherford. The band's original line-up consisted of Rutherford, Paul Carrack, Paul Young, Adrian Lee and Peter Van Hooke until the mid-nineties when the permanent line-up was deduced to Rutherford, Carrack and Young.

Despite the 'Genesis hype,' the band became quite successful in their own right. Over a 20 year period they released 6 studio albums and became widely known for hit singles such as "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)," "All I Need Is A Miracle," "Over My Shoulder, "The Living Years"(US #1 single) and "Word of Mouth." Their self-titled debut album was released in 1985 to positive reviews. The album reached number 26 on the Billboard 200 album charts and had two hit singles: "Silent Running," featuring lead vocals by Paul Carrack, and the up-tempo "All I Need Is a Miracle." Both songs reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at numbers 6 and 5 respectively, with the former also peaking at number 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. From there, followed the albums: The Living Years, Word of Mouth, Beggar on the Beach, their second eponymous album, Mike & The Mechanics (aka M6) and 2004's Rewired, which was released following the death of Paul Young in 2000.

Following a six year hiatus, Rutherford banded together in 2010 with UK R&B act Andrew Roachford and Canadian singer Tim Howar to make a brand new Mike & The Mechanics album entitled The Road. After the album's release in April 2011, the band embarked on tour which they completed at the Isle of Wight Festival in June 2011.