Meet the Crews 

Hailing from Teignmouth, the Back Beach Boyz bring energy, originality and a touch of Devonian charm to every stage they step on. Since forming in 2013 our lively crew has made waves at festivals across the South West and beyond - even appearing on BBC TV singing one of our own compositions. Also performing in iconic venues like Exeter Cathedral and the National Maritime Museum, Cornwall as well as overseas at the international Vegesack Maritime Festival in Germany. With a strong catalogue of original songs and albums we serve up lively maritime folk songs and sea shanties with a twist and a whole lot of heart! We believe in having fun whilst we are singing, which is reflected in our albums, ‘Good Libations”, ‘Captain Baarman's Dog’ and ‘Captain Jack Spratt’. Many of the tracks on the 2 latter albums were written by members of the band.

Throw away your preconceptions of the shanty scene and get ready to be energised, amused and enthused by this dynamic four-man crew from the Exe estuary. Delivering a mix of traditional and new shanties with an eye on the future and a nod to the past, BDH are sure to get audiences singing, all the way home.......

A taste of Welsh shanty at its best combining tight singing and mischief abounding. Want quality harmonies and a fun time? We’re the boyos for you!

The Dorset Mutineers, once described as ‘Dorset’s Favourite Buoy Band’, are renowned for beautiful harmonised renditions of classic sea shanties and songs of the sea.They bring a lot of fun and humour to their shows but take their singing seriously and like to think that they ‘bring you smiles, laughter and sometimes tears, because we are The Dorset Mutineers’ when they perform. This is a line from their signature song which features on their recently released album. They perform widely across Dorset and have a large following of enthusiastic shanty lovers. For more information about the crew visit their Facebook page @dorsetmutineers.

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).

Late one summer evening, on the north-facing slopes of The Mendips, several miles from the Somerset coast, High and Dry was born. 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 for over 10 years now and we enjoy getting together for a beer, a chat and to hone our singing skills and harmonies around some shanties and songs of the sea. The line-up has changed over the years and on a very good day we might be 12 strong but generally we perform in a group of 6 to 10.
We have earned thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes, with our main fund-raiser being the Bristol Shanty Festival, which has so far raised about £21,000. We have a wide repertoire of shanties and nautical ballads ranging from traditional and melancholic through to comedic and sometimes bawdy!

We are a 3 piece family band called Hooligan's Rule based in beautiful Brixham in the South West of England. but are quite happy to travel around. We sing Folk, Shanty, Pirate, and play Celtic rocky dancey fiddle tunes and sing-a-longs. We love close-harmony songs and play guitar, bass, bodhran, mandolin, violin, (and skateboard ramp…)
We will have played 25 festivals round the UK this year and are already booked for several festivals next year including Hamburg and Belgium.

A rag-tag collection of singers from Oxford’s Man Choir, singing acapella shanties and songs of the sea with the odd land shanty chucked in for good measure.

An ancient bunch of dedicated shantymen centred on the English Riviera. and are one of the longer established crews in this area of Devon. A recent bereavement coupled with a couple of losses has reduced our numbers to 6. These need to be replenished. (for comfort).
Most of our crew have been scavenged from local choirs. but the eldest is a relic from the Old Gallers, a local group that disbanded a couple of years ago. 
We do boast a Musical Director. One who strives to maintain order and who steers us with timing, harmonies. and even stage presence. 
Our annual norm is some 50 gigs. supplemented with shanty festivals spread from South Wales, Bristol, Port Isaac, St Ives to Falmouth Mevagissey and others along the south coast. 
We practice religiously. constantly striving to polish our performances to be both enjoyable for audiences and crew alike. 

Poole Me Hearties hail from an ancient pirate’s port on the south coast of England. They play 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, they sound like no other shanty band.  Whether at festivals, sailing clubs or down on Poole Quay, their live performances are where they are really at their best. Their infectious enthusiasm encourages audiences to sing along to the catchy choruses, and they deliver bags of fun as well as a few surprises along the way.

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.

Known for high energy and audience interaction, Scuttlebutt Shanty are guaranteed to keep you up and stomping. Based in Ilfracombe, North Devon, this well-regarded crew sing pure acapella sea shanties with their own twist, including their own songs. A blend of revelry and haunting songs, performed with outstanding harmonies. Scuttlebutt have played main stages at some of the UK’s biggest shanty festivals, including Cockwood, Brixham Pirate Festival, Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival and Mevagissey Shanty festival.

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

Hailing from the Devon/Somerset border, Stern Maidens formed with just six shipmates in 2023 and their numbers have swelled over the ensuing years to a feisty female crew of 12. They pride themselves on singing a diverse mix of shanties and songs of the sea that combine rich harmonies with foot-stomping fun and a side order of sass.
As well as singing traditional shanties, they enjoy playing with well-known songs to give them a special Stern Maidens twist. The crew also enjoy writing their own unique material with a female perspective, celebrating strong seafaring women and those left behind on shore.
Stern Maidens regularly perform at shanty festivals across the South West, as well as singing at music venues, pubs, charity events and acoustic music clubs. They also raise funds through their performances to support their local Positively Parkinson’s café.

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 again!

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!

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

The Port Isaac Gulls love to sing and we have become known for our eclectic repertoire from the 1950s to the present day, with an emphasis on harmony and entertainment. We also laugh and talk a lot and are partial to cake and the odd glass of wine (or two). 
We started to sing shanties when three of the Gulls began organising the Port Isaac Shanty Festival. We now have a strong “Sea Section” which follows in the good old Port Isaac singing tradition. So when we come to Bristol expect shanties, Cornish songs and songs of the sea with a bit of a female slant and we might even throw in a joke or two
We like to say a word (or two!) for the gals in the “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!

Established over 30 years ago The Harries are renowned 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

The Jolly Grogsters hail 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 only reason you would give your band a name like "The Jolly Grogsters" is if you were trying to disguise the fact that you're the biggest jerk-bags in the world. The Jolly Grogsters are no exception to this steadfast rule. Jerk-bags make the best bands.

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.

We are a 4 piece acapella 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 St Ives, Mevagissey, Tywardreath, Teignmouth, Weston-Super-Mare, and our home town Bristol to name but a few.

The Silver Darlings are a 6 piece all-female crew from Southend on Sea, Essex. Combining heart-warming harmonies with passion, enthusiasm and a healthy dose of humour, these girls deliver a live performance that is both energetic and emotional. The girls have performed at many UK shanty and folk festivals, crossed into the mainstream at Latitude Festival and are frequent visitors to European maritime festivals in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. They never miss an opportunity to perform on a boat, whether it be a Thames Barge, a lightship, the Golden Hinde or the Cutty Sark!
Their second album ‘Whaling Women’ was released in 2025, following their critically acclaimed debut ‘Maiden Voyage’