They were formed in 1985 by brothers Peter Coyne (vocals) & Chris Coyne (bass/vocals) from the ashes of their previous band The Sid Presley Experience. The Godfathers toured extensively & quickly earned a serious reputation for their electrifying brand of primal rock & roll & their incendiary live shows around the world.

Forming a recording partnership with famed producer Vic Maile they released 4 critically acclaimed, smash hit independent singles on their own Corporate Image label (‘Lonely Man’, ‘This Damn Nation’, ‘I Want Everything’ & ‘Love Is Dead’) which alongside a brutal cover of Lennon’s ‘Cold Turkey’ were compiled into their seminal debut album release ‘Hit By Hit’ in ’86 & signed a worldwide deal with Sony/Epic records in ‘87.

The Godfathers unleashed the storming rocker ‘Birth School Work Death’ as a single in ’87 & scored a US Billboard top 40 hit after massive college radio airplay & heavy MTV rotation. Then the classic ‘Birth School Work Death’ album was released in ’88 (includes the ‘hit’ anthem title track, & singles ‘Cause I Said So’ & a re-recorded ‘Love Is Dead’) & was promoted with extensive tours of the UK, Europe & America as they cemented their reputation as one of the best live acts of the period. Celebrity fans included among others David Bowie & Johnny Depp.

The Godfathers’ mob inspired image, raw lyrics & guitar-driven, edgy rock & roll sound was in direct contrast to the clean, synthesized sounds that mainly dominated the mainstream charts at that time & foreshadowed the Brit-Pop/Rock resurgence of the early 1990’s.

1989’s album ‘More Songs About Love And Hate’ (featuring the American college radio smash single ‘She Gives Me Love’ and live favourite ‘Walking Talking Johnny Cash Blues’) was followed by the death of producer Vic Maile & the departure of guitarist Kris Dollimore, who was replaced on guitar by Chris Burrows for ‘Unreal World’ (which included the American radio hit ‘Unreal World’ & a searing cover of The Creation’s psychedelic classic ‘How Does It Feel To Feel’) in 1991.

A provocatively titled live Godfathers’ album ‘Dope, Rock & Roll & Fucking In The Streets’ was issued in 1992 on Corporate Image & the band toured the globe constantly. With a new line-up The Godfathers released 2 further albums on Intercord Records, a self-titled album in ‘93 (AKA ‘The Orange album’ because of it’s distinctive cover art) & ‘Afterlife’ in ’95, before the group finally imploded in 2001.

In 2008 The Godfathers reformed their original line-up to promote a vastly expanded 2CD version of their seminal debut album ‘Hit By Hit’ & performed a select number of British, European & American dates & festivals together for the first time in nearly 20 years. These included the highly successful revival of their traditional Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre concerts with knockout, triumphant performances at The Forum in London in February ’08 & Chicago’s Metro in February ’09.

The Godfathers have become increasingly influential in recent years with Top 5 American artists Local H & Spoon releasing cover versions of Godfathers’ classics “Birth School Work Death’ & ‘This Damn Nation’ & Mars Volta citing The Godfathers’ primal rock & roll sound as a direct influence on their ‘Noctourniquet’ album.

‘The Godfathers – Shot Live At The 100 Club’ a Live DVD/CD was released November 1st 2010 to mark the 25th anniversary of the bands formation & ‘Jukebox Fury’ followed in March 2013 to significant critical acclaim.

A new studio album ‘A Big Bad Beautiful Noise’ was unveiled in February 2017, preceded by the single, ‘You Don’t Love Me’. Rave reviews hailed the album as the band’s best in many years, with Vive Le Rock claiming it was “up there with the Godfathers’ ’80s classics”. A critically acclaimed live album ‘This Is War! – The Godfathers Live!’ followed in 2019. The storming double A side ‘I’m Not Your Slave’ & ‘Wild And Free’ saw them taking another sonic step forward, and in 2022 they released their ninth studio album, ‘Alpha Beta Gamma Delta’

The Godfathers now feature:

Peter Coyne – Vocals (The Godfathers’ founder member, ex The Sid Presley Experience)
Jon Priestley – Bass (ex The Damned)
Richie Simpson – Guitar (ex Heavy Drapes)
Billy Duncanson – Drums (ex Heavy Drapes)
Wayne Vermaak – Guitar (ex The Great St. Louis)