Originally formed in 1981. Jill and Steve, together with Neil Brook were residents at Kirkham folk club and played at a variety of venues in the North West of England. Their repertoire covered a broad base of folk and acoustic music including songs and tunes from Great Britain and Ireland.

In 1984 Mooncoyn were co-opted to play for a friends wedding, together with other musicians, but the emphasis was on tunes to dance to. This led to Mooncoyn re-naming , and Cats in the Village, a six piece band specialising in both ceilidhs and concerts was born. Their line-up included fiddle, hurdy gurdy, keyboards, guitar, bass, drums and a plethora of other instruments including bagpipes, banjo and as the band developed, so too did their presentation, which required them to employ their own sound and lighting engineers to manage their stage equipment.

During the next eleven years, Cats in the village performed throughout the UK and Europe, their repertoire growing to include French tunes and dances. In 1989 they brought out their only album titled Cats in the Village.

In 1995 Cats in the Village, played their last gig, however Jill, Steve and Neil continued to play for dances, together with a whole variety of accompanying musicians.

At the turn of the century (the phrase sounds somehow more traditional than the new millennium), the need for a return to traditional song saw Jill and Steve join Kath, Mike and JL(former Cats in the Village members) and Rick to play at folk clubs, concerts and dances.

During the last few years, with the advent of their new-found freedoms from the constraints of full time employment, several band members have taken to touring europe in their mobile homes and boats. This has led to the band taking on fewer bookings than in the past, but the good news is that they still get together for special occasions and Jill, Steve, Mike and Jeff, together with a variety of guests, are now taking bookings for 2018.