Formed in the UK in 1967 by Peter Hammill, Chris Judge Smith and Nick Pearne (now deceased). After a period of activity during the 1970s, the band broke up (although not for the first time) in 1978, seemingly for good.

The classic line-up of Hammill, Guy Evans, Hugh Banton and David Jackson, reformed the band again in 2004 and released the studio album Present. Since September 2006 Van Der Graaf Generator has worked as a trio, without David Jackson.