MEET OUR LOVELY SINGERS

Our very own buoy band. We couldn't put on this Festival without their continued and unstinting support - a great big thank you to them, one and all.

We never said we were a shanty group but we do sing a strong “Sea Section” which follows in the good old Port Isaac singing tradition. And with three of the Gulls making up three-quarters of the Port Isaac Shanty Festival organising group, there was no way we were not going to sing during our big weekend. 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!

As a bit of an introduction, we are eight best friends who have been singing, laughing, performing, talking, eating cake and drinking the odd glass (or two!) of wine for over ten years. We mostly sing in and around Cornwall featuring an eclectic repertoire from the 40s onwards with the emphasis on harmony and entertainment. We like to take classics from different genres and give them our own magic Gulls touch.

In this strong male genre 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!

Internationally acclaimed 21st century shanty singer, Chris Ricketts returns  to Port Isaac once again, bringing an album of shanties and self penned   songs called ‘Go to Sea No More’ to the festival.

'Chris Ricketts is the sort of artist who can hold a whole room  spellbound with the sound of his voice alone.'   Acoustic Magazine

“I am a singer songwriter that plays a mix-up of foot stomping folk with other twists and turns. I try to use all  of my limbs to create as many sounds as I can to perform a song and have as much fun as I can doing it.”

‘Slugbeard - a four piece nautical punk folk band from Bristol who perform original songs as well as renditions of traditional sea shanties with a punk twist, all served straight off the seabed. High seas, mutinies, manatees, dark and stormies and G and T's.  All aboard for nautical nonsense...’

From the deep, resonating notes of the father and son bass to the high notes of the girls, Barrett's Privateers have delighted audiences throughout Cornwall and well beyond with their broad, rich harmonies.

Based on the Cornish side of the beautiful Tamar Valley, Barrett’s Privateers formed through the joy of acapella singing. Since forming in 2019, the group have been honoured to perform at a range of events from the Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, to the highly acclaimed Rock Oyster Festival.

2022 was a fantastic year for Barrett's Privateers. In May, they recorded their debut album, Shed No Tears, at the prestigious Cube Studios and in August, they represented Cornwall at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in Brittany along with seven other Celtic nations, performing each night to a crowd of up to 10,000 people.

Singing at Carnglaze Caverns in 2023 and 2024, their performances have been immensely popular and from the lighting and the sound, to the venue itself, the experience was a night to be reckoned with and enjoyed by all. 

Songs of the sea, shanties, traditional folk, Cornish and mining songs all feature regularly on their set lists. Despite being so varied in age, Barrett’s Privateers take each song and make it their own, with each of the voices finding a way to complement its neighbour, through the joy of just singing together.

The power and harmony within their lively performances are both enjoyable and hugely entertaining.

Instagram: @barrettsprivateers                                                                                                          Facebook: facebook.com/barrettsprivateers                                                                                   UTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCGeWF2OS5W-17JU4icaBbkw  https://linktr.ee/BarrettsPrivateers

Formed in 2023, the Standing Stones are a London-based singing group. From cozy pubs ... to ever-so-slightly bigger pubs, they enjoy singing haunting old folks songs and upbeat coastal classics. Their mission? To prove that singing is good for you. And singing with others is even better. 

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 over10 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. 

During this time, the word has spread and we are a busy crew. 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 performed in concerts, at garden parties, local churches, beer and cider festivals as well as at quite a few 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! 

We love to meet shanty folk so look out for us, come and say hello and share a yarn!

We are based in Cornwall and West Devon although some of us hail from further afield, and since 2012 have appeared at many folk festivals, maritime festivals and corporate events both at home and on the mainland of Europe

Six of us were originally members of Hanging Johnny, an all-male shanty crew who were at the forefront of the shanty revival and were together for the best part of twenty years. Following the demise of Hanging Johnny, in 2011 we went on to form Flash Jack. The ‘Flash’ part of the name comes from a Georgian slang term for a person living on the edge of ‘decent’ society but with a style and manner which endeared them to their comrades if not to the authorities. All of us have varying degrees of experience in sailing, as well as singing about it, and ‘Jack’ has always been a slang term for a sailor. We strive to live up to the concept of the name!

From the start, we wanted to perform maritime songs in a way which utilised our various musical backgrounds and which encompassed not only ‘straight’ shanties but also included ballads, comic songs, new songs and tunes, songs which show women’s experience of the sea (and seafarers) and songs and tunes reflecting the influence of coastal life and the resulting back and forth of songs and tunes.

Traditional song, classics, theatre and English and European dance music have all had their influences on us and all of the members of the group have performed for many years both as solo artists and with a variety of groups and bands. This has enabled us to perform in a variety of combinations. We have recorded two CDs which are available from group members or from our website: www.flash.englishfolkmusic.com

“But we answer to the name of Month’s Advance...”

Emily and Josh’s music takes an irreverent stance on history, places and people, and combines originals with traditional songs from the days of sail, peopled with handsome cabin boys, Jack Tars and unfortunate tailors pressed into service on the briny. The Month’s Advance crew of 2 accompany Emily’s folk vocals and Josh’s shanty-man tenor with a mix of fiddle, ukulele, double bass and shouting. Their favourite part of a folk set is that everyone gets to be in it, so bring your glass-bottomed tankard and watch out for stray shillings.

“A really fabulous duo, singing sea shanties and sea songs so wonderfully” – Short Drag Roger “Disgraceful” – the Wellington Wailers
Catch up with us on Instagram and Facebook @monthsadvance!

The Out of Tunas was formed just under two years ago and we are based at Maidencombe, Devon. Last year, we performed at many festivals/gigs and have raised significant sums of money for charity, mainly the RNLI (last Sunday in excess of £600). During the temperate months, we meet at our local beach for practice night, mixing singing with a bonfire, BBQ, swimming, fishing, beer-swilling and joke-telling. We are very enthusiastic performers!

“We are an acoustic trio est. 2019 and we play folk songs, shanties and singalongs. We’ve been described as ‘different’ which we’re quite happy about. We can’t wait to get stuck into 200th anniversary celebrations of the RNLI this year. “

In 1885 a whale was found on a bank of the River Severn, and more than a century later the Severn Whalers are still looking for another….                                                           

A group of four friends from villages along the banks of the Severn, the Whalers came together six years ago over a shared love of sea shanties and songs of the sea.They are delighted to be returning to Port Isaac Shanty Festival again in 2024.

Severn Whalers Highlights from 2023 were the numerous Shanty Festivals they were able to attend, including Falmouth, Mevagissey and their first trip into France for Festival du Chant de Marin in Paimpol, together with the recording of their first CD, Moves on the Water.

Kelp! are a small, eclectic group of men from Swanage in the Isle of Purbeck who have discovered the pleasure of singing sailor's traditional working songs and raising money for good causes. They share a love of the sea and are drawn from a common background of local sailers, lifeboat volunteers and friends. 

Whilst Kelp! have more than 300 years of experience, most of it has nothing to do with singing shanties, or songs of the sea. Neither do they have any formal training or coaching, which is reflected in the authentic delivery of their working songs, ballads and duets which takes the audience back to tough times at sea and wild times in port. Increasingly popular at local events over recent years, Kelp! has a wide appeal to young and old, their raw enthusiasm always proves infectious.

The DerryAirs are Downderry’s very own shanty band. We sing songs of the sea, tell tales of Cornwall and its myths and travel the world by song. 

The stars were aligned at the beginning of 2019, with The DerryAirs formed by four refugees from Downderry village pantomime and various south-east Cornwall choirs. Since then we have grown -  adding our second bass, complete with bodhran drum, and a tenor and second guitarist. 

Every so often we embark on a world tour! In our time we have gone as far west as Mevagissey (for three successive fantastic, unforgettable shanty festivals), as far east as Saltash, as far south as Brittany, and as far north as St Neot…until we hit Port Isaac, that is.

Last year we added to our repertoire a first original DerryAirs number, The Wreck of the Gipsy and have since added another two, The Seaton Mermaid and Trafalgar Way. Watch this space…more are on the way.

The harmonies we seek need equal amounts of perspiration and inspiration. We are putting in the perspiration, and the inspiration is all around us in the sea, the sky, the sun, the rain and the wind.

You can follow us on our website www.derryairs.com, connect from there to our YouTube videos or find us via FaceBook. Happy listening.

Missin’ Tackle Shanty Crew are a Brixham based crew and in their tenth year of singing. Coming from very varying backgrounds it is their love of music and the sea that has brought them together. One of the crew was trained as a chorister whilst four members are also current members of local Male Voice Choirs. With a wide repertoire of old and new songs their enthusiasm comes over singing both well-known shanties and songs of the sea as well as lesser-known tunes and even a few of their own. The crew look forward to visiting the  ‘Port Isaac Shanty Festival' to meet up with old friends as well as making new ones.

Brought together by our love of the sea, we are six West Penwith maids who sing of love, life and water! We sing songs you know, songs you should know, and occasionally, songs that you don't know because we've made them up! Occasionally accompanied by Steve from The Foghorn Three, who keeps us in time (but rarely in check).

When Martin Bruce moved to Rye Harbour ten years ago he found many villagers keen to restore the tradition of shanty-singing known there in former times, especially during the hey-day (the 60s and 70s) of Johnny Doughty, local fisherman and performer. Arming himself with a beautiful Lachenal concertina as accompaniment he has brought back to the Harbour and the local area both well-known shanty classics and songs particular to East Sussex, including some of his own writing.

In this 200th. anniversary year of the founding of the RNLI, for which he volunteers, he will be performing ‘Saving Lives at Sea’, the song commissioned from him by the Institution in celebration of this milestone.

The Bencoolen Wreckers were formed in 2011 and now consist of nine friends who enjoy singing a mix of Cornish songs and sea shanties from around the world.

The group is named after the Bencoolen Ship built in 1855 which was shipwrecked during bad weather on Summerleaze Beach, Bude in 1862 with only six of the 33 crew saved. The wood from the smashed wreck was used to build several properties in Bude.

The Bencoolen Wreckers can often be found singing in various establishments around their home town of Bude. They have performed at many of the shanty festivals and charity events that are found around Cornwall, including Port Isaac, Boscastle, Mevagissey and St Ives shanty festivals. Details of all forthcoming events can be found on our Facebook pages.

The Shout was born in the back room of Falmouth’s legendary Seven Stars pub in 2002.  Having sadly lost some friends but happily found new members in recent years, we are rejuvenated and looking forward to the 20th anniversary, in June, of the Falmouth Shanty Festival we started in 2004.  We are, as ever, a group of friends who enjoy a song and a drink and raising funds for our charities, notably the RNLI and the Cornwall Air Ambulance.

You don’t often get to hear shanties accompanied by a harp! So Leave her, Johnny Leaver Her; get yourself on board The Saucy Rosabella; sail down The Essequibo River; avoiding those Banks Of Newfoundland; while you’re Bound For Australia we can have some fun in Port Isaac! See you there! 

Dartmoor-based Mariners Away is well known across the South West for performing traditional sea shanties and other maritime numbers at various events across the region.

Established in 2007, our name pays homage to 'The Mariners' Way,' an ancient route frequented by sailors travelling between the ports of Bideford and Dartmouth. Situated along this route is South Zeal, where the King’s Arms inn, our rehearsal space, is believed to have hosted these seafaring travellers.

Comprising typically eight or nine members and occasionally ten, Dartmoor’s sole shanty crew entertains audiences not only at pub gigs and private functions but also at all the major shanty and folk festivals such as Port Isaac of course, Falmouth, and the renowned Sidmouth Folk Festival.

Over the past year, we've broadened our reach by staging exclusive concerts at prestigious venues such as The Plough Arts Centre in Great Torrington which has attracted a new wave of followers.

One such event last year, was a special fundraising concert which we organised and headlined at Exeter’s prestigious Corn Exchange in support of the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital. The event which was generously supported by our many friends from the world of music, raised an impressive £2500 for the hospital’s charity.

Prior to the concert, we were featured on BBC Spotlight, where presenter Natalie Cornah interviewed us, and we had the opportunity to serenade the South West TV audience as the regional airwaves were handed back to the national network. This memorable moment can be found on our YouTube channel.

Shipwrecks are formed mainly from a small group from Wadebridge Male Voice Choir, who after more serious singing enjoy a pint in the bar with a more relaxed sing song of mainly Cornish Folk and traditional music.

The name Shipwrecks was chosen quite a few years back when the group met in the Ship Inn Wadebridge, i.e. bunch of Wrecks singing in The Ship.

Shipwrecks are happy to sing for any charity or social event, and can contact Mick Stone on 07831726645 or Bob Parkhouse 07913674846 . Any money raised from this goes to support mostly young people and organisations in and around our local area.

After coming to the Shanty Festival with my partner last year, I can't wait to take part and perform this April! I have been playing the harp for nearly 10 years and now spend most of my time performing at events across the UK including weddings, corporate events and within orchestras. Whilst doing this, I love learning new repertoire whether this be classical pieces, traditional tunes and of course well-loved sea shanties. I also teach and aim to share the harp with as many people as possible with these workshops. 

I hope you enjoy listening - please sing along!

The Beach’d Buoys, Weston-Super-Mare’s acclaimed Shanty Band have 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 similar named band, as we are Cheaper and Younger (in most cases)

The ‘crew’ originally come from various parts of the country such as the North West, Birmingham, London, Black Country, and Kent. After a chance meeting in a Kewstoke pub we decided to form a Shanty Band.

Audiences seem to enjoy the relaxed style and have fun in our performances, and we encourage everyone to join in the choruses. Having had terrific reviews at the Weston-Super- mare Festival in 2021 the Buoys followed this up with a very successful Sea Shanty Weekend in Mevagissey. We perform for community groups, festivals and all sorts of social gatherings ... and even invited to perform several times on the Famous SEE MONSTER art installation in Weston-Super- Mare.

We are resident band in The Captain’s Cabin in West (who generously sponsor us). If you are interested in booking the Buoys, please contact Keith on 07816382643  

The Barrel Seagals are an all-women shanty crew hailing from Bude.

Having only formed in April 2023, it was straight in at the deep end as their debut performance was broadcast on BBC as part of the Kings Coronation celebrations from around the country.

From there, they’ve been in demand playing both locally and events further afield including Widecombe Fair and Clovelly Herring festival.

Their songs include unique takes on traditional shanties to represent the female perspective, original material based on local legends such as Nanny Moore and songs written by Cornish women such as Brenda Wootton.

They’re very excited to be performing this year and can’t wait to sing for you all!

In August 2009 five members of the Polperro Fishermen’s Choir met to form an 'afterglow' singing group with the idea of enjoying a ‘sing along’ after the choir’s Wednesday evening practice sessions or after the choir had performed one of its many concerts. Fifteen members of the choir attended the first afterglow practice session and the group quickly adopted the name 'Polperro Wreckers' with the first gig being held just prior to Christmas 2009.

The practice sessions have themselves become performances enjoyed by both visitors and locals alike singing along to a mixture of Cornish, Shanty, Folk, and Sixties numbers. The Wreckers are all about letting their hair down and having fun. They have now performed at various venues in Cornwall and Devon with charities such as the RNLI, Shelter Box, British Heart Foundation, Children's Hospice SW, Cornwall Air Ambulance and local charities including the Fishermen’s Choir benefiting as a result. 

At about 9 pm or so on most Wednesday evenings (unless the choir is busy elsewhere), the Wreckers can be found enjoying themselves in a local pub or club in Polperro, or sometimes on the Big Green. 

Sirens at the Helm hail from West Norfolk. Born from the idea inspired by local shantymen, we figured that anything those boys can do, we can do just as well! 

We were founded in February 2023, and meet every Monday evening to sing songs about the sea. We thoroughly enjoyed singing last year in our first season and clocking up 14 gigs in and around Norfolk. 

We are a fantastic 25-strong crew who have become firm friends and enjoy keeping time together, just as the sailors do when they sing to the rhythm of the waves. We love performing to all land-lubbers far and wide. 

We are extremely excited to voyage the 352 miles from the East to the West, to sing at the Port Isaac Sea Shanty Festival.

A solo acoustic musician hailing from Northern England, he brings a blend of country, folk, and indie sounds to the Shanty Festival stage. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Ben Howard, Paolo Nutini, Tyler Childers, jack Johnson and the timeless allure of sea shanties he creates an atmospheric space with just his guitar and soulful vocals, so make sure to grab a pint and enjoy some laid back melodies you’re sure to enjoy!

Figurehead began as the first all female shanty group in Cornwall and originally formed as a bit of fun around a kitchen table for five women who shared a love of sea songs and harmonies. Over the years the personnel have changed but the love of singing in harmony together and entertaining people with foot stomping songs and shanties remains constant. 

The current members are Cath, Rachel, Sharon and Gill. They share a love of songs with a traditional, nautical and maritime flavour ... or as they say: "If it contains a reference to water, however slight, we consider it fair game!"

 As well as singing at local events, they can be seen performing at a wide variety of festivals around the South West. In 2023 they also enjoyed performing on Radio5 Live Sunday breakfast and appearing on CBeebies!

Cork an Barbor are a group of five friends that got together to keep the sound of song alive on the shores and in the pubs of St Ives through a mutual enjoyment of singing traditional Cornish songs and songs of the sea. They share a rich heritage of mining, farming and fishing which the songs they sing reflect along with a deep devotion to the Duchy.

The Hay Shantymen (between 12 and 15 of us) are a rollicking bunch of land lubbers from the East coast of Wales (haha) and we have been together for about 8 years now.  We sing traditional sea shanties in three-part harmony, a cappella with no instrumentation, and also include some other songs that fit with our nautical theme.  We love performing! We are united by strong friendships, plus a love of singing, the sea and beer!

Our sense of fun, and the camaraderie we feel for each other seems to communicate to our audiences. Add in the close harmonies, interesting arrangements; a good mix of 'ballads' and 'bangers' and we always seem to "go down" very well, with a very wide demographic.

Over the last 2 years we have performed approximately 50 times including at the Falmouth Shanty Festival 2022 and 2023, at the Bristol Shanty Festival 2022 and 2023, several times at Hay Festival, Cockwood Shanty Festival 2023  and at Latitude Festival in 2022.

If you have seen Hay Shantymen live, you will be aware that we take our fundraising very seriously. To date we have raised over £10,000 for our chosen charity the RNLI.

We are very excited to be part of the Port Isaac Shanty Festival and really hope that you’ll catch one of our sets

The Cobweb Crew were formed in April 2021 by a group of friends who were in the habit of striking up a song whilst enjoying a pint or two at the Cobweb Inn, Boscastle. They sing a wide variety of shanty and cornish songs. 

They have a CD for sale of which every penny including collections goes to the Fishermen's Mission charity. 

Local friends John and Paul have played all three previous Port Isaac Shanty Festivals, offering a ‘Shantydote’ of blues, ragtime, country and original songs.

Their approach to singing together is simple. Hand pick songs that you most like to sing, add in some that have been specially written for the occasion, have fun playing them, and leave the audience smiling.

It’s a winning formula - the duo’s enjoyment of performing together goes to the heart of what making live music is all about. If you like fancy picking, mighty melodies, haunting harmonies and catchy choruses, their set is for you.

See John here before he heads off to the Royal Albert Hall this Autumn with Port Isaac’s very own Fisherman’s Friends to round off their sold-out 2024 mini-tours of major UK venues.

The Overmorrow are a Bristol based five piece. They play mostly original material in a folk rock vein with occasional leanings towards shanty. David, the drummer has a long association with Port Isaac beginning with the wedding of a good friend up at Trewetha Farm nearly 25 years ago and has been coming here ever since with his family. 

The band have a song called The Harbour Wall which was the original thought behind wanting to play in Port Isaac. They played the Sea Shanty Festival for the first time last year and even though they are not strictly speaking a shanty band, their sometimes nautically inspired sound was much enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience. Last year they played their full band set at The Village Hall. For this year they are stripping down their sound to play some of the other venues in the village as well.

The band play songs telling stories that conjure up an England of days gone by. Whimsical, charming and sometimes downright foot stomping. 

Listen, enjoy, dance. The Overmorrow have it all!

C.A.S.K. (Collings Acappella Shanty Krew) are a Daughter and Father shanty duo from Teignmouth. They have performed at various Pirate and Shanty Festivals from Falmouth to Oban, but since lockdown they have submitted videos and been involved on live feeds for virtual festivals further afield on the east coast of America for “Weathering The Storm” and Canada for “Festival Des Pirates”, as well as recording music tracks being played on SoundCloud “Couleur Bleue Salee”.

Garbed as Mermaid and Pirate, they have a strikingly different look as well as beautifully blended harmonies.

C.A.S.K fundraise for FND Friends, a charity which helps Kathryn to manage her Functional Neurological Disorder.

We are excited to be part of the Port Isaac Shanty Festival again, hoping to meet up with old friends and make new ones.

If you enjoy their performance please find, follow and like them:

Facebook:                 @CaskShantyDuo

                                    @TeignmouthMermaid

Instagram:                  teignmouth_mermaid

" Batten down the Hatches" are a Devon based Shanty Crew.

Keeping our maritime songs alive, with Power, Musicality and Fun.

The Auckland Shanty Singers is a community singing group based at Bishop Auckland, Co Durham (Auckland means Oak-land). We started in 2019 singing twice a month at a Methodist Church in Coundon Grange. From the first night we have invited both men and women to come and join and sing sea shanty and songs of the sea. 

The call and answer and choruses of these work songs and evocative songs of the sea are something anyone can take part in to make a community of voices. All are welcome to join our Motlee Krew for our regular sessions for the evening, for the day and for a lifetime of fun and healthy singing! 

For members who want to take it further they can join our Extra Rations Motlee Krew of leading Shantywomen and Shantymen. These creators, performers, contributors and collaborators are at the core of pour Motlee Krew. We support our strengths and develop each others talents so our member shantymen and shantywomen can and do lead the Auckland Shanty Singers.  

We hold regular sessions open to all members of the public to come along and join in. Weekly on Monday evenings in Shildon, Co Durham.  See our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/theaucklandshantysingers/

The Auckland Shanty Singers are grateful to have performed and taken part in events and festivals up and down the North East and North East Coast of England and Ireland. 

‘Bootleggers love to create a good old-fashioned pub singalong, with a foot-stomping mix of songs of the sea, country, folk, and a sprinkling of popular music. 

Ian, Leighton and Farmer Pete have been regulars on the shanty and folk festival scene in the South West for last few years and have made many new friends along the way.

Bootleggers was formed in the Autumn of 2023 to create a fun, new offering from South Wales, and to help raise money for good causes.’

Putting a smile on people’s faces for 11 years!

Teignmouth's Back Beach Boyz shanty & maritime folk crew are named after our famous “Back Beach” where everyone meets to watch the sunsets and socialise. Our Hawaiian shirts are inspired by the 60's group the Beach Boys. 

The band was formed on the 1st of February 2013 and so 2024 sees us celebrate our 11 year anniversary!

We believe in having fun whilst we are singing and we perform at suitable charity events for free - our 1st album, "Good Libations", released in 2019, raised £1,000 for Macmillan. Our second CD "Captain Baarman's Dog" was released in June 2024, along with an accompanying promotional video called "The Monk Of Lidwell Chapel', which can be found on our You Tube channel. Our next CD, “Captain Jack Spratt” will be released soon. Many of the tracks on these 2 latest albums were written by several members of the band. We have had three new members join us at the start of 2024, so we are back up to our fighting size of 12! 

ACapella Moonshine are Falmouth's premier Ladies' Shanty Group. 

Since they first appeared at Falmouth's International Shanty Festival in 2014, they have inspired many women to join the Shanty Circuit.

They love to "Moonshine" the traditional songs, bringing them back to Cornwall or setting them off from Falmouth on their Voyages.  They also love to tell the sea-faring stories from the female perspective. 

Audiences love their feisty, rollicking rhythms and their haunting harmonies - all performed with a sense of fun and friendship.  On the male- dominated Shanty scene, they are described as " a breath of fresh air"

Sailed in all the way from the county of Essex, Hoy Boy (Peter Purnell) is a young(‘ish) enthusiastic acapella Sea Shanty Soloist with a real passion for Maritime Folk Music. Specialising in rousing uplifting shanties from the golden age of sail that will have you joining in with gusto.

We are acappella Sea Shanty Group based in Clevedon, North Somerset.

We love what we do, raising money for CHSW and RNLI.

We are really looking forward to returning to Port Isaac and entertaining you all .

Femmes de la Mer are a group of women hailing from across Cornwall. Each individual member brings a unique sound to the group, yet it’s their blend of a cappella voices that has gained them recognition amongst the folk and sea shanty communities.  

Led by musical director, Claire Ingleheart, this women+ group are known for their rich harmonies and bold interpretations of well known traditional songs as well as newly written shanties celebrating the lives and stories of Cornish women.  

After launching their first album, Today’s Haul, a beautiful collection of shanties and songs of the sea, they recently appeared on the latest BBC series of Rick Stein Cornwall!

Stuns’ls - formed from Mevagissey, Charlestown and Truro Cornish Pilot Gig rowing clubs and named from one of our earliest songs “Old Maui”.  Stuns'ls is sailors slang for the Studding Sail, an extra sail that can be hauled out on a square-rigged vessel’s yardarm to run in light winds. 

We are definitely a light-hearted bunch who don’t take life too seriously and have a lust for harmony, always seeking out that extra note. Over the last 3 years we have had the honour of singing for King Charles and Queen Camilla, played a part in Rick Stein's Cornwall (2021), the soundtrack for Visits Cornwall’s G7 campaign, recorded for Warner Brothers in late 2022 and performed across Europe.    

To us there is nothing better than to share in the enjoyment of Shanty’s and Cornish folk music, each song tells a story that has been handed down over the years and it’s our job to make sure that’s it heard, whilst putting a smile on everyone's face at the same time.

Mel Babb was a founding member of Figurehead and has recently set
out on a solo adventure; she has been described as a powerful singer
and interpreter of songs with a unique style.  An irrepressible character
who is well known on the folk and shanty circuit, Mel loves to share
songs with singers and audience alike with a hint of Cornish passion and
fun.

The Lower Deckers are a fun, contemporary shanty group who hail from the landlocked counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire. They are delighted to be performing at The Port Isaac Shanty Festival 2024.

Following their tentative first gig fundraising for the RNLI in 2017, they have gone from strength to strength, performing regularly in festivals, pubs and cafes. They’ve enjoyed Pirate workshops at primary schools, sung at the Hereford Fisherman's Friends movie premiere, toured Northumberland, brightened Hereford's River Carnival and entertained residential homes. Alongside this they have enjoyed performing annually at The Ludlow Fringe Festival since 2022. Their other Sea Shanty festival appearances include The Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, Mevagissey, Weston, Gloucester and Bristol .

They are keen charity fundraisers and regularly hold gigs to raise funds for the RNLI as well as local charities such as Shropshire's Mayfair Centre, Herefordshire's Home Start and several local food banks. The Lower Deckers repertoire embraces traditional Shanties, songs of the sea and sailing, folk songs and more, with a few surprises along the way! They look forward to seeing you in Port Isaac and promise plenty of Hearty Shanties & Sea Faring Fun ⚓️⚓️

A four-strong acapella singing group who specialise in regional folk songs and songs of the sea. Helen, Jeremy, Mark and Nigel have their roots in Cornwall but over the last couple of years have spread their West Country wings to sing at events in Devon, Somerset and Dorset as well.

Hot Tuna joined us last year for the first time. They are all female shanty crew from the villages of Kenn and Kennford in Devon who have been performing together for three years. They play gigs in their local pub, the church and village fetes.

They also go further afield to festivals - three in Devon last year and two in Cornwall - they remember "sunny" Port Isaac very well!

They create unique harmonies and like to write quirky local words to reflect the vibes of their quirky villages.

"Maybe we're hot, maybe we're not, but we love to sing"

Have a listen to them on their Facebook page:  Hot Tuna - ladies that sing shanties