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 secret! A popular and lively band, they always command a good turnout wherever they perform.

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 and base their outfits on the traditional costumes worn there around 1920. Their repertoire consists of a wide range of Frisian and Dutch songs about the sea, sailors, fisherman and fishermen’s wives.

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 by the band members and songs written for them by others. Sometimes unaccompanied they also feature guitar, ukulele, bass and harmonica in their repertoire.

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 and attend folk and shanty events around the country. 2024 is their second visit to Harwich.

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 personnel). All members are singers in their own right and come together to make a glorious, harmonious and powerful sound. They sing mainly shanties, as well as traditional and original songs of the sea.

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 LNS was created in 1915 after a report on the sinking of the Titanic and the group take their name from that infamous ship – ice is obvious, but fire comes from the suggestion that there was a bunker fire in one of the Titanic coal holds.

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 sing shanties and songs of the sea, acapella, as they would have been sung on board ship. They perform at local events, charity gigs, festivals, carnivals and private functions. 2025 sees their 10th appearance at HISF.

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 70s for sheltered homes, social clubs, the RNLI and the Harwich Festival. They enjoy the challenge of switching genre for a few weeks to venture into the world of sea songs and shanties.

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 in Kent and Essex and named after the DAZZLE camouflage used to disguise warships in World War Two their repertoire is wide ranging, from traditional shanties sung acapella to self penned songs with maritime themes.

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 original songs and arrangements of well known sea songs and shanties a cappella or accompanied on cello, guitar and Irish bouzouki.

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 of the Journal of the Cape Horner Association he has rounded Cape Horn on three occasions on a square rigger, voyaged across the Pacific and crossed the Atlantic seven times since then. A native of Folkestone he guesses salt was added to his blood at birth. His show and illustrated talk this year is about Pitcairn Island, a rarely visited destination.

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 Festivals from Falmouth to Gloucester. Dressed as a mermaid and pirate, they have a strikingly different look as well as beautifully blended harmonies.

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, the result is a harmonious juxtaposition of nautical experience both lived and imagined. Based in Quebec, the group have performed at festivals around the world. This will be their second visit to Harwich.

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 at several maritime events and festivals this year but their own Harwich International Shanty Festival remains their favourite. Most crew members have been singing shanties for over 25 years, but the current line up has recently expanded to welcome some new blood.

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 ale-soaked taverns of old. You can expect rousing vocal harmonies, crisp fiddle lines and a foot-stompingly good time with The Jack Tars at the helm!

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 folk festivals all over the UK and Europe as well as pubs, theatres, village shows and other venues closer to home. Their performances are a mix of traditional shanties, modern sea songs and self-penned numbers. www.shortdragroger.co.uk

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 hear and you can be sure of always finding some new gems in their extensive repertoire.

Swinging the Lead began singing together in 2010 and are based on the banks of the River Thames at Gravesend. They have been the resident Shanty Crew on the famous ‘Cutty Sark’ since 2011. With regular appearances at many shanty festivals, Simon, Joe, Andy, Pete, Dave and TC have cemented their reputation and place in the worldwide sea shanty community. Their musical offering ranges from unaccompanied traditional shanties through to self-penned contemporary sea songs. www.swingingthelead.com

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 has a maritime set amongst his repertoire which he will be entertaining us with over the shanty festival weekend. Don’t miss him!

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 events. They enjoy singing shanties and sea songs to all kinds of audiences, from folk clubs to shanty festivals and have a regular monthly spot at the 4 Ale Taproom in Gosport. All four members of the group have many years of singing experience brought together to form Spinnaker.

The Snotteldogs are a Margate based folk band born out of a love for performing uplifting, accessible and rollocking good songs. They sing with harmony and passion!

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 traditional shanties and other songs of the sea, the Darlings really bring the shanty party and absolutely encourage audience participation.

Shotley Wailers are a mixed, locally inspired shanty singing group accompanied by guitar, harmonica, melodeon and percussion. They sing out to Shotley, Felixstowe and Harwich Harbour every Monday night at the Bristol Arms within ear shot of what was once the home of HMS Ganges. The Shotley Wailers motto is ‘Give It A Try, We Did And We Love It’. Enjoy their performance.

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 their repertoire with a raft of entertaining sea songs, all suffused with their unique arrangements and harmonies. They are the resident, monthly group at Dulwich Folk Club.

ShantyFolk are a landlocked a capella shanty crew based in the Sudbury area of South Suffolk, who love singing shanties but also like to weave in the occasional folk song, when nobody is looking. Performing to local clubs and organisations, audiences enjoy the fascinating stories behind the songs of the sea, and also the blend of voices and harmonies, which benefit from their past life as members of a mixed choir.

From Zwolle in the Netherlands, Shantycrew Buitenboord have been singing together for over 20 years. They perform a capella shanties and drinking songs at Festivals, pubs, ships and marinas both here and in their home country.

Having made their debut last year, Suffolk based duo Craig & Phil are delighted to be returning to Harwich in 2023. They sing in harmony a variety of familiar and lesser known shanties and maritime songs, often accompanied by guitar, ukulele and banjolele! They took their name from a Felixstowe beach hut!

Salt Water and Beer were formed in 1995, and have been singing together ever since in the Maldon area and surrounds, even venturing as far afield as Harwich! As well as traditional shanties, they sing anything from Bruce Springsteen to barber-shop or music hall, and hope to carry on singing for another 28 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 strong vocals, tight harmonies and unfussy arrangements, giving fun and energetic performances with a fresh and dynamic approach to folk music that has seen them described as “A slightly salty Mumford & Sons”.

Another home grown Harwich Town group, the Rattlin’ Winches have been singing together for several years now and are all keen exponents of the shanty tradition, performing at many local events. This busy trio also sing with other Harwich crews, so look carefully and you may spot them more than once over the weekend.

Pot of Gold has spent the last year performing in their home of East Anglia, Cornwall’s Port Isaac Shanty Festival and the Cutty Sark Shanty Festival, London.  Expect inclusive, laid back, entertaining sessions, full of great harmonies, humour, musicianship and audience participation.  For more information and future gig dates visit www.potofgoldshantycrew.co.uk

Based in the Burnhams, birthplace of Admiral Nelson, Nelson’s Shantymen are a diverse group of enthusiasts, driven in equal measure by a love of singing and a desire to keep the tradition of the authentic sea shanty alive. True to the original spirit of the shanty, a major emphasis is placed on the voice, although instrumental accompaniment, in the form of banjo, bodhran, guitar and harmonica is an integral part of their performance.

Just along the coast in Brightlingsea, Motley Crew have been singing together now for a number of years and gained a loyal following for their entertaining performances. They are much in demand locally and have performed at numerous events, often raising money for charity, particularly the RNLI.

A short trip down the Essex coast to Maldon on the Blackwater estuary finds the shanty crew Mains’l Haul. Formed in 2014, the group sing mainly unaccompanied, but also play a variety of instruments including melodeon, guitar, concertina and recorder. The group sing mainly at festivals, regattas and sailing clubs and have become regulars at HISF.

A mixed community choir based in Hackney, the London Collective love singing together, keeping shanties and songs of the sea alive and hauling. Most of their material is arranged, sometimes with a contemporary twist, by their own members. They sing on ships and barges, at festivals, in National museums, to lifeboat crews and even Naval chiefs. They are greatly looking forward to their third visit to HISF.

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 following both in their home country and abroad. Les Brouilleurs d’Ecoutes made a huge impression on their first visit to Harwich and we are pleased to welcome them back.

An accomplished concertina player, Ken sings sometimes solo and sometimes alongside Hans during the festival programme. He is the author of many well known modern sea songs, tunes and shanties which have been absorbed into the tradition. This year he will be running a workshop on songwriting.

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 of traditional and original folk songs. Find out more: tamaramusic.space/grogsters

Isle ‘ave a Shanty are a 6 piece shanty crew based on the Isle of Ely. They specialise in traditional songs from the sea and the country in a folk style as well as putting a folk twist on some modern classics. They may come from a landlocked county but they bring their own style to both traditional and self penned songs

Roger and Liz return to the festival with lively interpretations of maritime songs, often accompanied by accordion or whistle. They will also be running the popular “Learn to Sing in Public” workshop, encouraging new singers to take that plunge.

From just down the Essex coast and also singing with the crew of the same name, Hoy Boy (Peter Purnell) is a young(‘ish) enthusiastic a capella Sea Shanty Soloist with a passion for Maritime Folk Music. Specialising in rousing uplifting shanties from the golden age of sail that will have you joining in with gusto.

Hailing from Wivenhoe in Essex, The Hoolies are much in demand for their entertaining mix of traditional shanties and songs of the sea with lively musical accompaniment. They combine a love of shantying with support for community events and good causes.

London based, the Hog Eye Men sing at events in the capital and beyond. They host a monthly sea song and shanty session in central London and are a resident shanty crew aboard the Cutty Sark. The Hog Eye Men have a vast repertoire of traditional shanties and other songs of the sea. They are keen to keep these great songs alive, singing them as they used to be sung: simply, boldly and loudly.