The Velvet Underground emerged in New York in the mid-1960s, centred on singer, guitarist and songwriter Lou Reed and Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale. Guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen “Moe” Tucker completed the lineup. The band developed a distinctive sound that brought together rock, experimental music, minimalist repetition and the raw energy of the urban underground.

In 1965, Andy Warhol took an interest in the group, becoming its manager and artistic patron. He introduced the band to German singer Nico, who performed on their debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico. Released in 1967, its peelable yellow banana cover became one of the most recognisable images in music history.

Warhol incorporated the band into Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a series of performances combining live music with film projections, lighting and performance art. His approach helped create a new space between the rock concert and experimental art.

Although the album achieved little commercial success at first, it gradually became enormously influential for generations of musicians. Songs such as All Tomorrow’s Parties, Heroin, I’ll Be Your Mirror and Venus in Furs remain striking examples of the band’s fearless combination of beauty, unease and musical experimentation.