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The Assassenachs formed in 1998 and immediately started playing pubs and clubs up and down Europe.

The music then was a little bit more "rocky" (in more ways than one) than nowadays. After several line-up changes, founder member Steve Dewar and almost-founder member Greig Coutts met Steve Bradshaw (fiddle) who introduced the jig and the reel to the band. Hence a sharper than ever tendency to the Scottish and Irish folk.

The Assassenachs set list has always included oddities, for example, songs about scottish football players suffering from broken legs and flatulence and then there's, of course, 'The Grand Old Duke of York'. Other favourites include 'The star of the county down, Ride on, Black is the colour, The drunken sailor, The black velvet band' and not forgetting perennial crowd pleasers, 'The wild rover, Dirty old town and Whiskey in the jar'. Recently, however, the lads have leant towards their roots and have embraced more of the scottish side of folk with songs like 'Bonnie ship the diamond', He wouldnae want his gruel and 'In kirkentilloch there are nae pubs' not to mention a few other classics. The odd pop song can be heard in there on occasion too....but we'll not go into that.

2005 was an exceptionally horizon broadening one for the band with tours of Germany and Scotland, appearances at the Knockengorrach Festival in Scotland, Herfstfolk in Groningen and a sweet little festie in Germany called Lord of the Ring where the lads met up with there german based scots tour manager to be, coaxed said individual through a night in police custody, drank a little too much whiskey and woke up on a racing track next to an airport! Norway and Switzerland were also conquered and then there was the meeting up with manager/agent Chris (Hawk Productions) who promptly put the waylaid band on the right tracks again with some solid ideas and methods. Sadly, Chris stayed only a short while as manager and managed only to get one gig for us. So we are back to managing ourselves thank you very much and that is the story so far.

There are three CDs to date: 'Bobs yer Uncle', a live CD 'Don't Buy Fridges' and recently the remix album 'The Gruel Tapes'.

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UPDATE The lads toured Norway at the end of last year where we got stuck in the snow and missed the last gig of the tour...ouch! Well we will be mad and go to Norway in November won't we!! Next up are some gigs in Germany and a few Scottish dates to round off the year (check giglist). Plans for 2008 include a couple of spring tours abroad including Norway and Germany and a mad summer haul through Scotland, Scandinavia and the Baltic lands...we also plan to do as many festivals possible up and down the UK.

UPDATE...tour of viking country is just round the corner and in fact the band will be in Norway for the better part of the summer. The new CD will be on sale in mini form ie not all tracks are included due to a minor hitch. Line up is still the same (steve, jacques and greig) but there are a number of additions to the set including 'Ye jacobites by name' and 'fisherrow'; two well known scottish folk songs. Stand by for further updates. The band are on the verge again of invading viking country this summer Steve.07.12.07

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