The Rusty Tubs are a raucous musical act that sweeps you away on a journey across the high seas with rowdy shanties, wistful songs of the sea and spirited folk […]

Ian and Dave bring to the stage a wealth of experience performing, touring and researching traditional songs & music. With voices and concertina, they offer a delightful repertoire of unusual […]

Pete Stockwell and Dave Ellis, one time Double Trouble and Forebitter (for those with long memories!) have reformed as Two Bitts. They sing and play anything that’s remotely connected with […]

Swinging the Lead began singing shanties and maritime folk songs in 2010 and are based in North West Kent on the banks of the tidal River Thames. They have been […]

Sloop Groggy Dogs sing traditional shanties with high energy and a passion that connects with audiences of all ages. Their shows are both engaging and memorable, raising many thousands of […]

Since their debut at Harwich International Shanty Festival last year, Shotley Wailers have been developing their repertoire of singalong, shanty and war songs.  Now accompanied by bass, melodeon, penny whistle, […]

This Flemish choir dress in typical sailor’s attire from their home town on the Belgian coast and, led by their indomitable female conductor, they sing songs of the hard life […]

South Suffolk’s very own shanty crew ShantyFolk have been singing together since 2014 after meeting in a community choir, and being asked to ‘do something different’ for a performance. They […]

The three members of SeaFeaver have all previously made their mark in the seasong/ shanty world with different shanty groups, but have now come together to form SeaFeaver, an innovative […]

Look hard and you might spot the three members of Rattlin’ Winches singing elsewhere over the festival weekend. But don’t let this stop you discovering this lively group’s own lively […]

Quaynotes are a Woodbridge based trio who play a mix of sea-themed songs and tunes. These range from haunting Celtic harp tunes to ballads of sea-longing, women at sea and […]

Now in their eight year, Pot of Gold have performed at many clubs and festivals and have gained an enviable reputation for singing both traditional and contemporary sea songs and […]

Long, long ago a group of like minded chaps hit on the idea of singing sea shanties for fun. Despite it being a late night at the Yacht Club, most […]

Mains’l Haul specialise in singing sea shanties, which were work songs designed for the hard and strenuous physical exertion required to sail ships in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth […]

A community choir who sing shanties and maritime songs with one eye to the tradition and the other to the future, the London Sea Shanty Collective perform regularly in London […]

United by a passion for music and grog, the Landlubbers plough their own furrow under a banner they call ‘Industrial Chant’.  Self-penned songs depicting our industrial heritage and inspiring landscapes, […]

Audiences everywhere rave over the harmonies of Kimber’s Men. And none more so than in Harwich where the group remain one of our top favourites. They are regular performers at […]

Just Voices from Hamburg, Germany are regular Harwich visitors, who love the town and its festival. Renate and Jan have performed together for twenty years and have a songbook full […]

The Jolly Grogsters are Bristol’s answer to all things shanty/folk with a twist of pirate. They can rival any shanty band with their watery tales and drinking tunes. If you […]

The Jack Tars are an energetic Yorkshire-based Shanty band specialising in traditional seafaring songs and British/Irish folk staples. The Tars are ready to transport audiences back in time to the […]

Impressed perform sea songs and shanties both traditional and contemporary. They sing acapella and accompanied by a variety of instruments and are noted for their rousing choruses, inviting audience participation

From our local waters of Walton on the Naze, Essex, Hoy Boy (Peter Purnell) is a young(‘ish) enthusiastic acapella Sea Shanty Soloist with a passion for Maritime Folk Music. Specialising […]

Hailing from Wivenhoe in North Essex, The Hoolies sing an entertaining mix of traditional shanties and songs of the sea with lively musical accompaniment on banjo, melodeon, harmonica, guitar and […]

The HogEye Men have almost 20 years’ history of shanty singing in the traditional unaccompanied style, and feature regularly at events in London and further afield. Proud to be the […]

Harwich Sing are an all-inclusive Community Choir for kids, teens and adults in the Tendring area. They keep on growing in size and popularity and are a huge draw at […]

Another “home grown” group, Harwich Shanty Crew evolved from a Shanty Workshop held at one of our early Festivals. The members of the crew all enjoy singing together and perform […]

Based unsurprisingly in the Blackwater estuary village of Goldhanger, the Goldhanger Shanty Crew evolved out of the local choir following a sea themed concert in 2017. They have been rantin’ […]

One of the many “home grown” Harwich groups, Golden Rivets have been singing upbeat songs of the sea for a number of years. They may prefer to keep that number […]

Return of the fabulous Grietje Sprot who wowed us all back in 2016 and 2017 with their engaging performances. They are a traditional Fishwives Choir from Hindeloopen in the Netherlands […]

Friggitt are a shanty trio from Wiltshire who perform a variety of songs connected with the sea and sailors. Alongside well known traditional and contemporary songs they sing original compositions […]

Freddie’s Barnet are an acoustic band established in 2019. They are a fun and slightly different trio playing folk songs, shanties and singalongs. They are keen supporters of the RNLI […]

Five Men Not Called Matt (FMNCM) is an a capella group based in Milton Keynes and Cornwall. The group has been singing together for 20 years (with some changes in […]

All five members of this crew were students at the London Nautical School, several went to sea after leaving school and some have recently crewed together on tall ships. The […]

The FelixStowaways formed in 2014, after ‘skipper’ Norman advertised in the local free press to start a shanty crew in Felixstowe. The rest, as they say, is history. The crew […]

With over 40 years’ combined experience of singing and playing, the four members of DAZZLE have performed at festivals, folk clubs and museums and aboard a variety of boats. Based […]

Shotley Crue are a seven piece, shanty and sea song group that first tested the waters at the Harwich Festival back in 2014. Since that time they have greatly expanded […]

Dovercourt Ukulele Club are a local group who have been playing together for more twenty years. This year they have been playing their favourite popular songs from the 60s and […]

Columbines have performed around the East Anglian folk scene for the past few years. An all-female trio known for their close harmony singing they perform a variety of their own […]

Chris has been interested in traditional sail and shanties for more years than he can shake a stick at and was formerly leader of “The Shanty Crew”. A former editor […]

Cask are a Shanty daughter and father duo from Teignmouth in Devon. Singing new and old shanties and forebitters, plus sea songs they have performed at various Pirate and Shanty […]

The members of Brise Glace pack a formidable sixty years of collective experience into their lively performances armed with guitar, banjo, accordion and four voices. Combining traditional and contemporary material, […]

Black Deep Shanty crew are one of the festival’s resident crews and are named after one of the deep sea channels just off our coast. The crew will be singing […]

The 2023 artists list is below. Further acts could be added so do check back but remember that our newsletter subscribers will hear festival news first! Remember that the festival is […]

El Pony Pisador describe themselves as a cross between JRR Tolkein’s world and Monty Python! Humorous, quirky, entertaining and hugely talented, this captivating group have in the last few years […]

The Rogue Shanty Buoys were described by fRoots magazine as “Guardians of the old songs, delivered with captivating authority.” The group have an unmistakably bold sound and an emphasis on […]

From La Rochelle in France, Les Brouilleurs d’Ecoutes describe themselves as a Franco British group with an Irish flavour. Their upbeat multi-instrumental approach to shanties has earned them a strong […]

Steve Turner can boast a long list of accolades from the folk world including “majestic, brilliant, sheer genius and foremost concertina player of his generation”. We are delighted that Steve […]

Despite being formed far away from the sea in their hometown of Oxford, The Jolly Grogsters have been making their mark on the sea shanty scene with their own brand […]

Since they first cast off in 2017, the Silver Darlings, an all-female crew from Southend on Sea, have been making waves both nationwide and internationally.  With their beautiful harmonies, interweaving […]

Spinnaker Shanty was initially formed to help out at an event on board The Victory in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. From that day the group has continued to perform at many […]

Now in their 20th year, Short Drag Roger continue to bring shanties and sea songs to the landlocked people of Oxfordshire and further afield. They have performed at shanty and […]

This talented duo join us again with some accomplished musicianship, harmonious singing and intriguing workshops. Their musical expertise and relaxed presentation make their performances readily accessible and a delight to […]

Columbines are an all-female trio who have played extensively within the East Anglian folk scene for the past few years.They are known for their striking use of close harmony singing […]