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Longpigs were an English indie rock band who rose to fame on the fringe of Britpop in the 1990s, comprising Crispin Hunt (vocals, guitar), Richard Hawley (guitar), Simon Stafford (bass guitar) and former Cabaret Voltaire member Dee Boyle (drums), who was replaced by Andy Cook for their second album. Hailing from Sheffield, the group had success with singles such as "She Said" and "On and On", and their well-received debut album, The Sun Is Often Out (1996).
Their fourth single, "Far", hit the United Kingdom Top 40. In March 1996 this was followed by the ballad "On and On", which received considerable radio airplay and hit the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart. In April 1996 the band released their debut album, The Sun Is Often Out, which was declared one of 1996's 50 best albums by both Q and Melody Maker. On the heels of their newfound success, the band repackaged and re-released "She Said", which also reached the UK Top 20 in June 1996, which was followed by "Lost Myself" (No. 22).
Mobile Home was released in October 1999, along with the two singles "Blue Skies" and "The Frank Sonata". After briefly reaching the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart, sales of the album faded away. Mother Records folded in 2000, and the rest of the band split up shortly afterwards.
Simon Stafford has also played as part of Cocker's backing band on his solo endeavours. He played in Hawley's band for a year and went on to join Joe Strummer's band The Mescaleros, playing with them until Strummer's death in 2002. He then played with Jarvis Cocker and various other bands, playing various instruments. He now plays keyboards and trombone with Liverpool-based heavy-psych rockers The Bonnacons of Doom on Rocket Records.
In 2004, Hunt lent his voice to the self-titled album by electronic band Mayonnaise, which also featured Howie B, on the Lunaticworks/BMG label. The following year Hunt joined a band called Gramercy, with Nigel Hoyle (exGay Dad) and Dylan Rippon. In August 2005 the band recorded a single entitled "Hold On" (Redemption Records), which had begun to pick up airplay on BBC Radio 2 when the band split before releasing any material.
Hunt has also worked as a songwriter and record producer for Ellie Goulding, Penguin Prison, Midnight Lion, Florence and the Machine, Newton Faulkner, Kiko Bun, Natalie Imbruglia, Gabriella Cilmi, Lisa Mitchell, Lissie, Richard Walters, Josephine Oniyama, Clare Maguire, Liam Frost, Ron Sexsmith, Kate Walsh, Jake Bugg, Misty Miller, Eliza and the Bear and JP Cooper.
In 2013, a compilation album On and On: The Anthology was released, featuring material from the Longpigs' two studio albums, singles' B-sides and previously unreleased material.
In April 2017, it was reported that Dee Boyle, the band's former drummer, had died. He was 52 years old. The cause of death was unknown.
In April 2019, Hunt was announced as an MEP candidate for the newly formed Change UK - The Independent Group (TIG) political party for the 2019 European Parliament election. He was not elected.
| 1995 | "She Said" | 67 | – | The Sun is Often Out |
| "Jesus Christ" | 67 | – | ||
| 1996 | "Far" | 37 | – | |
| "On and On" | 16 | 17 | ||
| "She Said" (re-issue) | 16 | – | ||
| "Lost Myself" | 22 | – | ||
| 1999 | "Blue Skies" | 21 | – | Mobile Home |
| "The Frank Sonata" | 57 | – |
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