The Staves are Watford born sisters Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor. The band first formed in 2009 around the talents of sisters Emily (vocals), Jessica (vocals/guitar), and Camilla Staveley-Taylor (vocals/ukulele), who first learned to harmonize by singing along with their parents' record collection, dominated by the likes of Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. They made their live debut at a neighbourhood pub's open-mike night, but they were well-received and began appearing on a regular basis. They released their debut EP, Facing West, in 2010, the same year they performed as backing vocalists on Tom Jones’ 2010 gospel collection Praise & Blame.