The Longcoats, consisting of Ian (Queenie) Hewitt (Vocals guitar & phalanderer), Sarah (Lox) Hewitt (Vocals/percussion/clarinet/Common sense and reality checker for the band), Chris (Pigs) Billington(Sax/fly post dodger and vagabond), Jason (Jay) Brown (Bass/vocals, pyrotechnical idiot & tea and sympathy) and Andrew (Gasser) Gaskell(Drums, death trap van driver and all round scamp!) Formed after several drunken jam sessions in a disused cottage in Mawdesley in the winter of 1988. 2 years of gigging brought along the skills and ner'do well antics of Andrew "Trigger" Rudd as lead guitarist/vocals to swell the experience of the band and diversify the sound.
Major venues & festivals ensued along with a loyal following and several e.p. releases and the band charged onwards regardless of the own saftey/sanity. After what seemed an eon of constant recording, gigging, fighting, laughing, crying and general mayhem, they split after some disasterious incidents in December of 1991 and slowly lost contact. To all and sundry, that was the end of it. How wrong they were!
Fast forward a staggering 13 years to a chance meeting (some my call it fate) between Gasser and Jay in 2004 that culminated in a drunken reunion back in Mawdesley (spot a pattern here!) and the eventual live reformation of the Mark I line-up of Longcoats to an extatic crowd at Gasser's 40th at Mawdesly Village Hall in September of 2005 (Ruddy's band also played the same night)
Since that day, The Longcoats (With Ruddy permenantly back in the fold, but minus Chris) have played at Ruddstock 2006 and Ruddstock 2007 (Charity event) both in Wigan and at The Village Club in Aspull.
Another Gig is planned for this summer and another personal appearance later in the year.
Currently, Ian and Ruddy are laying down guide tracks for some brand new (and well overdue) Longcoats songs.
Watch this space.
