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Two hundred voices, one amazing line-up!
That's what you can expect. The best shanty crews from around the region will be here. Some old friends and some crews that have yet to experience that gert lush brissle welcome! If your crew have performed here before, don't worry, you're on our list and will receive a signal on how to apply again. If you're the (new)crew to pull us through, then drop us a line using the contact page.
A bit about the crews...
High and Dry
A decade ago, one summer evening, on the slopes of The Mendips, High and Dry was conceived. Half a dozen guys, inspired by the success of The Fisherman’s Friends, and enjoying a round of shanties, decided it might be possible to entertain the locals. And so it began.………. We’ve been singing together on and off for a good few years now and we enjoy getting together for a beer, a chat and to hone our varying singing skills and to learn some new maritime songs. During this time, the word has spread, and we have earned thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes. We have performed at garden parties, local churches, fund-raising concerts, beer and cider festivals as well as most of the shanty festivals throughout the south-west. We have a wide repertoire of shanties and nautical ballads ranging from traditional and melancholic through to comedic and sometimes bawdy.
Organisers of the Bristol Shanty Festival, we are delighted once again to bring the sound of shanties to Bristol with the help of two dozen of our fellow crews.
https://www.facebook.com/HighandDryshanty
The Exmouth Shanty Men
he Exmouth Shanty Men have been entertaining audiences since 2007, when they formed to keep alive the maritime traditions of their home port. Since then they have enjoyed bookings at several big UK folk festivals, including Sidmouth, Shrewsbury, Towersey and Warwick, and visit Europe frequently to sing in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany or Poland, including national television spots in several countries. https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Exmouth-Shanty-Men/100063686672799/
Hay Shantymen
Hay Shantymen are a crew of landlubbers singing shanties on the East Coast of Wales. We have performed at Falmouth Shanty Festival, Latitude Festival and Hay Festival as well as various hostelries in and around Hay-on-Wye. Earlier this year we sang at a book launch in the Natural History Museum in London where we were thrilled to not be the oldest fossils in the building.
We recorded our first album this year, Songs from the Shed and we are on all the social media platforms.
https://www.facebook.com/hayshantymen
The Barnacle Buoys
The Barnacle Buoys was formed in 2013. We are a not-for-profit group of a cappella sea shanty singers based in North Somerset. We exist to enjoy our craft, entertain our audiences and raise money for our chosen charities. Our principle charities have been the Childrens Hospice South West and the RNLI. We give our time freely to perform at a variety of functions and festivals across the South West and, in return, we have a great time; we hope our audiences do too!
https://www.barnaclebuoys.co.uk/
Bow Movement
Formed in early 2020 in the village of Kennford, just south of Exeter, Bow Movement inject passion and energy into the Westcountry Shanty scene. Expect singing with gusto, instrumentation, interesting harmonies and arrangements of shanties, sea songs and folk ancient and modern. Also expect raucousity, high jinks and off the wall humour from an upstart crew that have become a regular and unique feature on festival bills.
Come and enjoy a Bow Movement with us!
www.facebook.com/bowmovementshanty
The Steepholmers
The Steepholmers are a sea shanty group that formed in Weston-super-Mare in early summer 2018, with a little help from a certain popular video game with a nautical theme (seriously!). We meet every Wednesday for rehearsal and perform a range of popular sea shanties and sea songs; always remaining keen on learning new ones to enhance our repertoire. Some of us like dressing up a bit when the occasion requires - think tricorn hats and the 'Poldark' look you won't be too far off. We perform in public for community groups, in pubs, in bars, and at Sea Shanty Festivals around the UK. We play every 3rd Wednesday with invited friends our regular monthly 'Shanty Night' in Fork 'n' Ale, Weston-super-Mare
The Beach'd Buoys
The Beach'd Buoys, Weston-super-Mare’s acclaimed Shanty Band has been entertaining Somerset and South West audiences since 2018. We have been resurrected from jetsam and flotsam found in and around the bay. We have no connection with the similarly named group, as we are cheaper and younger (in most cases). The ‘Crew’ originally come from varies parts of the country such as the North West, Black country, Birmingham, London and the South East and met by pure chance in a pub in Kewstoke. Two of the ‘crew’ are appearing in the forthcoming film Fishermen Friends 2 as ‘extras’ (to be released in 2022) - they are 3rd and 4th haddock from the right........... We do not charge for the gigs as we rely on the generosity of our audiences. All donations and proceeds go to the Wraxall Children’s Hospice in Somerset.
https://www.thebeachdbuoys.com/
Storm Force 10
Bristol’s Storm Force 10 shanty crew, keeping the history of ships and sailing alive, singing songs from all around the world with special fondness for local, Bristol, tunes and tales. Some songs are old, and familiar and some are brand new written by the crew.
The Severn Whalers
We are a 4 piece a-Capella shanty crew based in North Bristol, on the banks of the mighty river Severn. You can find us singing Shanties, Songs of the Sea, and some other Folk songs all across the South West - we regularly attend StIves, Mevagissey, Tywardreath, Teignmouth, Weston-Super-Mare, and our home town Bristol to name but a few.
The Harry Browns
Established over 30 years ago The Harries are renown for their commitment to promoting the maritime history of Bristol as well their harmonies, humour and audience engagement. Seven performers sing with great joie de vivre un-accompanied or with guitar and fiddle.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/103900128702
Sound Men of Bristol
A 10 man group organised early in Covid primarily from members of Bristol Man Chorus who wished to continue singing and develop better close harmony sounds. We sing shanties and a wide repertoire of English folk songs et al.
The Rusty Tubs
The Rusty Tubs are a mongrel band of 9 (or so) , A Cappella, sea shanty singing Jack Tars. We sing traditional sea shanties, songs of the sea, military songs and folk songs. All on traditional themes: drinking, shagging, not shagging, working and getting mistreated, fighting, tragedy, poverty and general skullduggery. We’re loud, rough and ready, with a punk attitude. Drunken revelry is a certainty.
Bois Y Bryn
We're an all-male Welsh Shanty Band based in Cwmbran, South Wales keeping the heritage of harmonious singing and of the sea through shanty songs with a spattering of folk sounds.
The Gulls
Gulls are not a shanty group ... but we do sing shanties. How could we live in Port Isaac and not know every word to every shanty that has been sung on the Platt for so many years! And with three of us organisers of the Port Isaac Shanty Festival, singing shanties was inevitable. We are ten local women who meet up to talk, eat cake, drink wine and sing a bit. We sing acapella and our songs are usually an eclectic mix - it could be no other with ten strong-minded women with different musical tastes - from the 1940s to grunge garage. In a strong male genre we like to say a word (or three!) for the gals in "days of yore", left behind whilst their men sailed the high seas, who we like to think used to get together to talk, eat cake, drink wine and sing a bit!
The Frampton Shanty Men
The shanty was a work song, designed to impart rhythm and to motivate sailors for the strenuous physical exertion required to sail the wind-driven packet and clipper ships of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By contrast, the Frampton Shantymen have no tradition of seafaring and we strenuously avoid physical exertion. Also, only a couple of us can still remember the late nineteenth century. Nevertheless, we continue to enjoy sharing our shanties and other vaguely sea-related songs with anyone willing to listen (or, preferably, to join in).
The Port of Bristol Shanty Crew
We are a crew of mates who just love to sing traditional working shanties along with more modern maritime songs and Bristol sea shanties. Our mantra is "Fun and Friendship, Melody and Mirth"; we sing anything with a good tune or a good lyric, but our overarching aim is to enjoy ourselves and entertain. We give our time for free to support Festivals or charity fundraising events.
Wylde Water
Wylde water are Bristol based Mixed Shanty Crew. Formed from the infamous Shanty session at the Llandogger Trow, they have been performing sea songs, originals and Traditionals for over a year across Bristol and the South West
The 85'ers
The 85'ers are 6 active RNLI lifeboat crew. We & the station are based in Portishead, North Somerset. Formed during 2020/21 we sang at the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival 2022 & loved it. Looking forward to singing at our local shanty festival in Bristol!
The Jolly Grogsters
The Jolly Grogsters herald from the landlocked city of Oxford, despite this, they can rival any sea shanty band with their watery tales and drinking tunes. If you want to dance and sing-along, this is the band for you.
The Jolly Strumpets
Serving up a mix of humour, beautiful harmonies and rollicking sing-a-longs, The Jolly Strumpets are an all woman sea shanty group based in Cornwall - singing songs about women, celebrating womens voices.
https://www.facebook.com/thejollystrumpets
Lynmouth Shanty Crew
Make room please. A hearty troop based where Exmoor meets the Sea. Singing Sea Shanties (with Gusto!)
https://www.facebook.com/LynmouthShantyCrew/
Poole Me Hearties
Poole Me Hearties were formed at Lilliput Sailing Club in 2019. We perform traditional sea shanties and other seafaring songs in a unique style with a range of acoustic instruments including accordion, fiddle, flute and mandolin. Combined with an array of harmonies, Poole Me Hearties sound like no other shanty band.
