Category: Artists for 2015
Charlotte & Spong
Ever popular Charlotte & Spong are back to entertain us with their delightful arrangements of sea songs, accompanied by violin, mandolin and concertina. They will also be running the popular Shanty Karaoke session on Saturday afternoon.
Felix Stowaways
All the way from the other side of the Orwell, the Felix Stowaways are fast gaining in popularity, performing at many local Suffolk venues. 2017 also saw them performing in the Netherlands. This year will be their fourth visit to our Festival. Be sure to catch them.
Golden Rivets
One of the most popular groups in the area, Golden Rivets are a firm favourite at the Festival, where they perform lively renditions of a variety of maritime songs, accompanied by guitar, banjo, violin, accordion and bodhran.
Harwich Shanty Crew
Famously formed from the 2010 Shanty Festival, Harwich Shanty Crew are now a busy and successful local group, performing at many local events. The Festival would not be the same without them.
Hog Eye Men
The Hog Eye Men have a large and varied repertoire of sea songs and shanties which they sing in authentic style. They like to sing shanties as they used to be sung – simply, loudly and boldly. In addition to attending many other maritime events, Hog Eye Men run a regular shanty session in London and will be running some sing-around events for us here in Harwich.
Mains’l Haul
From just along the Essex coast in Maldon, Mains’l Haul are a group of experienced singers and musicians who perform regularly at local maritime events. Since their inception in 2014 they have been regular attendees at the Harwich International Shanty Festival.
Malcolm Ward & Pete Stockwell
Two strong supporters of the festival Malc and Pete can be seen throughout the town singing a variety of shanties, traditional and modern. They both share extensive knowledge of their subject and deliver their shanties with passion and enthusiasm.
Motley Crew
Popular local group, Motley Crew, from Brightlingsea are much in demand locally, performing at many events including fêtes, festivals, regattas, yacht clubs and barge matches. They are regular and valued supporters of the Harwich International Shanty Festival and we warmly welcome them back.
The Naze Shanty Crew
Founders of the Harwich International Shanty Festival (yes it’s all their fault!) Naze Shanty Crew have been through several different incarnations to reach the line up you see today. Enthusiastic exponents of the maritime tradition the crew have attended several other shanty festivals both at home and abroad, but Harwich of course remains their favourite.
Slow Loris
We are delighted to welcome Slow Loris back to the Festival again. Always extremely popular in our music venues, Slow Loris will also be performing the Friday night show on board Sailing Barge Victor. Full details in our programme. Don’t miss them.
Swinging the Lead
With some ten years of singing shanties and songs of the sea behind them, plus two well received CDs, Joe, Pete, Colin and Dave join us again this year from the shores of the tidal Thames in North West Kent.
‘Swinging the Lead’ are the resident shanty crew on the famous Cutty Sark in Greenwich, keeping alive the music and traditions of the great days of sail. They sing an entertaining mix of traditional shanties, contemporary songs, including those written by members of the crew, either acapella or with instrument accompaniment!
All have sailing or sea going experience including in Pete’s case Tall Ships, Colin was an electronics engineer on Radio Caroline and Dave is a regular on the Woolwich Ferry.
Tyburn Road
Talented and popular regulars at the Festival, Tyburn Road will be entertaining us once again with superb voices and musical accompaniment. They have a wealth of experience performing, touring and researching traditional music and their love of sea songs and shanties, together with a repertoire of unusual songs and tunes makes them the perfect guests for the Festival.
Kernow Buoys
Back to entertain us again, Gideon and Nigel will be making the long trek from the West Country to sing songs of the sea, both Cornish and otherwise. Kernow Buoys are one of our most popular acts. Watch them at one of their many appearances and you’ll find out why.
Roaring Trowmen
Roaring Trowmen were a huge success at last year’s Harwich Shanty Festival and have been making waves at other festivals and events throughout the U.K. so we had to have them back. They mix musical excellence with on stage humour and personality and are an act not to be missed.
Burning Glass
Burning Glass are well-known local multi-instrumentalists Mick & Penny Verrier, accompanied by family and friends.
Billy Teare & Kathleen O’Sullivan
Billy & Kathleen are returning after an absence of a few years in order to enchant further audiences with amazing stories and to deliver a variety of workshops connected to our signalling theme for 2015. Be sure to attend the instructional Morse Code workshop, which will also help you to train your mind and listen out for Kathleen’s beguiling singing and artistry.
Brasy
Brasy, from Poland, were such a huge hit at our 2014 festival that we couldn’t not have them back! Superb musicians, soaring harmonies and wonderful entertainers. Don’t miss them this year.
Crossjack
Singing Shanties in as authentic a manner as possible, Crossjack come from Oldenburg in the North of Germany. They always sing acapella in the manner of the shantymen of old and mix pure entertainment with plenty of background knowledge during their performances.
Enkhuizen 4+1
From Enkhuizen in the Netherlands these five singers perform mainly Dutch and English Shanties, mostly acapella but occasionally accompanied by guitar, melodeon, concertina and bones. One of their members, Hans Weehuizen, will be running Bones Workshops during the weekend so pop along to find out how to play these traditional rhythm accompaniments.
Hard Pressed
Three voices (Liz Randall, Roger Resch and Derek Seed) sing all manner of sea songs to accordion, whistle, concertina & autoharp, with plenty of choruses. At the Harwich Shanty Festival Liz will once again be running her popular “Singing in Public” workshops.
Jim Radford
Fresh from his triumphs at the Albert Hall for Remembrance Services, Jim, who is a regular at the Festival, will be hosting a special show with wartime reminiscences, interspersed with songs, some self penned. During the 2nd World War, Jim worked on the Rescue Tugs, which were based at Harwich and has previously hosted film shows about the Tug Service’s work.
Kaap Hoorn
Kaap Hoorn are old friends of ours and we are very pleased to be able to welcome them to the Harwich International Shanty Festival for the first time. 2015 sees them celebrating their 20th Anniversary and the trip to Harwich is part of their celebrations. The 30 strong choir sing in mainly 3 part harmony, accompanied by accordion, mandolin, guitar and violin. The choir come from the town of Hoorn in the Netherlands and of course the famous Cape Horn was named in 1616 by a Dutch explorer from their home town.
Keith Kendrick
We are very pleased that Keith has been able to step into the breach and help us out at such short notice, due to Patrick Denain’s illness.
Keith has of course performed at Harwich Shanty Festival previously as one third of the group “Three Sheets to the Wind”, but he is also a respected performer in his own right, of both folk and sea songs. He is also one of the finest concertina players in the U.K. and a worthy addition to our 2015 Guest List.
London Lubbers
Trapped in the capital, far from the sea, the London Lubbers inflict their love of shanties, sea-songs and questionable humour upon local folk clubs. A shifting (and somewhat shifty) crew, they are delighted to voyage up the A12 to Harwich once again.
Press Gang
All the way from St. Austell and keen to preserve the heritage of their native county, Press Gang sing tales of Cornwall and the sea with humour, harmonies and fun. Apart from a memorable “flash mob” appearance at Gatwick Airport, they rarely perform east of the Tamar, so we are privileged to welcome them to Harwich this October.
Riggerloftets
Our first group from Norway! And we are very pleased to welcome Riggerloftets to the old town of Harwich. They come from the oldest town in Norway and sing both English and Norwegian Shanties. They have travelled extensively and performed at many festivals at home and abroad.
Shadows in the Shade
