The band formed in December 2000, having its first jam in the tiny bedroom of drummer Max Hallet's house in Tottenham. This jam created what would remain Chimanko's best loved song, 'Decaffeinated Killer'; the song was conceived, written and recorded (in demo form) within just this first two-hour session.

The name 'Chimanko' is from the Japanese; roughly meaning 'that which is rare or beautiful', and was suggested by drummer Max Hallet's friend Tomoko Minamisaki from the Japanese band, Murphy No Geisha.

The band members were known to be heavily politicised; bass player Barry Macdonald in particular. Drummer, Max Hallet, was known to have a particularly strong stance on bull fighting, while vocalist Sajeel Awan was preoccupied by matters of more esoteric natures.

Their unorthodoxy was compounded by Barry Macdonald's left-handed bass guitar, and Sajeel Awan's unorthodox guitar tuning, which was the subject of much bemusement and discussion. The tight cohesiveness of the bass and drums formed a fertile pallet for the off-kilter guitar sounds and unusual chord progressions; Hallet was particularly cited by many as a first-rate drummer, with natural abilities to play in a number of forms.


Chimanko's style was heavily influenced by early nineties grunge and indie bands, such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Manic Street Preachers, and punk indie bands like The Jesus Lizard and Sonic Youth. The anthemic 'Decaffeinated Killer' proved to be their most enduringly popular song and a favourite with crowds; other popular songs included their high-tempo punk numbers like 'Evidence Shows' and 'Picking Flowers', more mid-tempo grungier songs like 'Learn' and 'For the Sick', which had more in common with the style of Soundgarden. The band also wrote some more expansive styles of songs, such as 'Of Dreams' and 'Sui-Sigh', but rarely performed them; though a version of 'Sui-Sigh' performed with the eclectic and veteran musician Sylvia Hallet at the London venue Moriarty's in December 2003 was probably the band's finest live moment.


Louis Kiryakides, singer/songwriter of the band On the Borderline, described the band's sound in an informal review of Chimanko's first recordings in 2001; "Imagine Kurt Cobain with the intentions of Pearl Jam, and the feel of a fresh 2000ish band."

In a Chimanko review, in the November 2001 issue of Exposure Magazine, referred to Chimanko as "the band that might bring grunge back to its rightful position, and rid us of the evil, manufactured pop bands..."