They were formed when singer Jack Weaving teamed up with local music students Oscar Dawson on guitar and Joe Franklin on bass as well as re-recruiting members of his former band The Surrogate (responsible for the Gentlemen's Hardcore EP), Scott Targett on keyboard and Cory Blight on drums. After months spent writing songs in Blight's bedroom, they began gigging around Melbourne and recording a debut EP with Swedish hardcore producers Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström.

Their first album, The Others, which was released in 2006, received a boost when the title track was remixed by dance duo TV Rock. The remix climbed up the charts and quickly became a summer favorite. Buoyed by its success, the Dukes traveled to Sweden in 2008 to record their second album, again utilizing the talents of Henricsson and Lövström. ~ Jody Macgregor