The Longcut

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The Longcut
Origin Manchester, England
Genres Indie rock, indietronica, post-punk revival
Years active2002–present
Labels Deltasonic, Melodic
MembersStuart Ogilvie
Lee Gale
Jon Fearon
Website http://www.thelongcut.com/

The Longcut are an English rock band, formed in 2002 in Manchester.

Contents

Career

The Longcut formed in Manchester in 2002 while attending the University of Manchester. The main lineup consists of Stuart Ogilvie (vocals, keyboard, and drums), Lee Gale (guitar), and Jon Fearon (bass). They initially intended to make purely instrumental music. [1]

In 2003 their experiments with cheap drum machines led to a new sound and their unusual stage setup. The band's original sound and energetic live performances brought them to the attention of the record industry in 2004, [2] eventually signing to Liverpool's Deltasonic label after the band met executives Alan Willis and Joe Fearon, whom they befriended. [3] During 2004 the band also became friends with Manchester promoters Akoustik Anarkhy [4] and indie/grunge band, Nine Black Alps. The two groups shared bills together at various house parties [5] (one in Longsight was filmed for the video to "Transition") organised by Akoustik Anarkhy and The Longcut, eventually touring together in early 2006. [6]

The Longcut released their debut EP Transition in November 2004, [7] followed by A Quiet Life in June 2005 [7] Both EPs sold out and were well received by the music press. [8] The band continued to tour throughout 2005, including appearances at SXSW, [9] [10] the John Peel stage at Glastonbury Festival [11] and the Red Marquee at Fuji Rock Festival. [12]

Work on their debut album, A Call and Response, began in the summer of 2005. Production duties were handled by Jonny Dollar, [13] and was mixed by TV on the Radio's David Andrew Sitek. [14] The band would internationally release a self-titled mini-album (a compilation of their UK EPs) in 2006.

A Call and Response was released on June 12th, 2006, followed by "Vitamin C" as a lead promotional single with "A Tried and Tested Method" soon following on October 2nd. The singles continued to attract intrigue around the band. The music video for A Tried and Tested Method would also be featured on MTV2’s NME chart, [15] with the video being played frequently on a multitude of UK music channels. The album would be ranked number 19 on NME’s top albums of 2006. [16]

After A Call and Response the band released The Airtight Sessions EP on August 31st, a compilation of the band's previous work and one new song "Idiot Check" making up the four-track listing. The EP was made available as a free download for all subscribers to the band's official site for a limited time, [17] then made available for purchase at Apple Computer's iTunes Store.

The next release by the band was a 7-inch single distributed by Melodic Records on March 19th, 2007. Limited to 500 copies, the double A-side featured "Idiot Check" (recorded at the sessions for A Call and Response) and a cover of the Candi Staton rave track "You Got the Love". [18] [19]

In late 2007, the band was dropped by Deltasonic due to management changes at Sony. It would later be reflected on that the label also had too high of expectations for them and didn't see the band as profitable enough. [3]

On September 6th, 2009, their second album, Open Hearts, was released. It was written and recorded right after the release of their debut. It was also produced by Nine Black Alps guitarist David Jones. Open Hearts was released by Melodic Records as a download in June of 2009, then on CD and LP in October. It was followed in 2010 by an EP, Broken Hearts, consisting of remixes of songs from the album. Open Hearts was well received but had significantly less coverage before quickly dropping out of relevance. “It definitely came out at the wrong time,” Ogilvie reflects. [3]

Another album slated to be released in 2012, written right off the heels of Open Hearts, but the release was subsequently shot down by their record label as the material was deemed “not good enough”. The writing and recording would later be stated as rushed due to personal pressures and self imposed deadlines. [20] [3]

The band would later return with their third album, Arrows, which was released on April 7th, 2018. It was distributed by Deltasonic once more. The album was primarily self produced and recorded in their own studio whenever they had free time. Four of the ten songs were leftovers from their previously rejected album yet the recording process was still slow. By mid 2016, recording was complete. The band enlisted the help of a longtime friend, Tom Knott to mix the album while Carl Saff mastered it.. [20] The album would be positively received. [21]

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Singles and EPs

References

  1. ↑ ":the longcut:v3:". www.thelongcut.com. Archived from the original on 11 October 2003. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  2. ↑ Evening News, Manchester (15 February 2007). "In The City Unsigned: The Longcut". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gourlay, Dom (24 April 2018). ""We never stopped doing things": DiS Meets The Longcut". DrownedInSound. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  4. ↑ "BBC - Manchester - Entertainment - Akoustik Anarkhy Summer Party at the Rampant Lion - 10/10". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  5. ↑ Evening News, Manchester (15 February 2007). "Party with Pierre". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  6. ↑ "Nine Black Alps concert review in Manchester, UK". www.loudmemories.com. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  7. 1 2 "The Longcut | Releases | Transition EP". www.thelongcut.com. Archived from the original on 4 January 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  8. ↑ Rutledge, James (7 January 2005). "BBC - collective - new talent 2005 - the longcut". www.bbc.co.uk/dna/collective. Retrieved 18 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ "The Longcut | Official Site | Diary". www.thelongcut.com. 23 December 2004. Retrieved 18 February 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ "SxSw 2005 line-up boasts hundreds of great bands!". DrownedInSound. 8 February 2005. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  11. ↑ "Glastonbury Festival Line-up Revealed - Glide Magazine". Glide Magazine. 11 April 2005. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  12. ↑ "2005 | FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '19". zh.fujirockfestival.com. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  13. ↑ "BBC - Manchester - Entertainment - The call and response". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  14. ↑ "A Call And Response, by The Longcut". The Longcut. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  15. ↑ "The NME Chart | MTV UK". www.mtv.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 October 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  16. ↑ NME (10 October 2016). "NME's best albums and tracks of 2006". NME. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  17. ↑ "The Longcut". www.thelongcut.com/newsite/. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  18. ↑ BBC. "You Got The Longcut". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  19. ↑ NME (2 February 2007). "The Longcut release double A-side". NME. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  20. 1 2 "The Longcut". thelongcut.com. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  21. ↑ "The Longcut - Arrows (Deltasonic) - God Is In The TV". 16 April 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
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