Formed in August 1991 and taking their name from a song by the band The March Violets, Children on Stun appeared to enjoy a relatively large amount of success in a short space of time. Treen left within a year of the band forming. The band's first gig took place at a club called "The Crypt" in Hastings. In the same year, the band also recorded their first demo, entitled "Elegance", and also made an appearance in Mick Mercer's second book on the gothic rock genre: this boosted the band's popularity and gained them much publicity.
In 1992, the band supported the popular goth rock band Rosetta Stone on their UK tour. Later on that year, they released their second demo, "Choices".
The band went on to release two more demos in 1993, entitled "Monochrome I" and "Monochrome II". They used the profits from these demos to release their first single, "Hollow", which became a club hit throughout Europe and the UK. The band secured a record contract with Cleopatra Records in 1994 and released the album Tourniquets of Love's Desire. This album was well received within the UK goth scene and boosted the band's popularity.