Bristol's Shanty Scene: Where Ale Meets Adventure!

Hi, it's Old Bill.

You're listening to Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

Ship shape on Bristol Noise along the hardest side from evil gorge to wonderful heaven all the line Secure the barrels down below Bind and tie and lash em this vessel, she is certified ship shape from Bristol Fashion.

So welcome to this very special episode of Shipshape in Bristol Fashion where we are recording segments at the Real Ale and Shanty Festival 2025.

During this episode you'll hear segments of all the different shanty singers and crews and groups and you'll get to hear some of their songs that they sing.

But also we're going to get to hear about people who are coming along.

Now, clearly I can't do everything all by myself.

I'm going to introduce you to a roving reporter that has been co opted upon the Shipshape and Bristol Fashion podcast and it is the one and only Ollie, also known as Shanty Boy.

Ollie.

Hello there, how are you?

I'm great man.

Well, welcome to the podcast.

And, and you are over this episode going to be recording some of the people that have attended and some of the, some of the crews that are here.

Yeah, of course.

Happy that I'm going to record and talk to people about the stuff that we all love and we all enjoy because shanties is a big part of all our lives and I think looking at the talking to people is going to be very helpful for me and everyone else to be able to talk and chat.

Excellent.

It's going to be good.

And Oli is Shanty Boy as we're now going to call him.

He's got a long term aim at some point to create his own podcast and so he's coming in to just break his teeth on the world of podcasting and he will be featuring on future episodes where he is going to record other crews that he hangs around with and his mum takes him everywhere these days, so.

So we're going to manage to increase our reach to talk to more shanty crews across the uk.

So Ollie, we're looking forward to that, thank you.

But the listeners are going to want to know if they've not seen you before or met you before or seen you on social media.

Who are you?

How have you come to Shanti music and what is your backstory?

So I started singing roundabout since the age of nine and I've before then my mom and my granddad used to paint me all around the world, all around England talking about sea shanties and I loved hearing all the sea, sea songs and sea stories and it was only like 2024 is when I sang at the Falmouth Sea Shining Festival with a group of lads called Ksenians that I really started to love singing.

And I started posting my stuff on Facebook, started going to shanti sessions, started going to more and more shanty festivals, and more and more shanty groups started bringing me on and singing with them, which is great.

And I really.

I really enjoy every single part of it.

And especially being on this podcast is going to allow me to talk to the people that love to see Shanes as much as I do and be a part of the inner workings of the shanty community, which is gonna be.

Now, you've got a very young voice now.

You said you started at the age of nine.

How old are you now?

I'm 14.

14, yeah.

Getting old now, buddy.

You're getting old.

I don't know if I've got any.

Any white hair on me, but.

No, the rest of us do, though.

The rest of us do.

That's really good.

And it's so good to hear young people getting involved and finding shanti music a genre that they love.

Yeah, yeah.

I've always tried to talk to my friends about shanti ing and shanti singing.

Yeah.

I love that.

My.

I talk to my schools about, like, letting me perform at some of their parts.

And I love my music teacher because I always talk to her about my.

My shanty stuff, and she's always helping me improve and helping me be more confident.

And I think that's what I love about singing because it makes me more confident every single time I do another show or another singing experiment.

You're a very confident young man.

It's great to see, and I think you're gonna add such value to this podcast.

Who are your heroes in the world of shanti singing?

Because you must have a few by now.

Now you've got your education up there with the rest of us.

Knowing a bit more about shanti Heroes.

Like, it's hard to choose because there's so many.

Yeah.

And my top favorites were probably, like, Fishman's Friends and I.

When I started hearing Port of Bristol, I loved just singing Port of Bristol.

And one of my heroes has to be Ksenian because they started me singing and I love every time I get to sing with them.

Like, I also got to sing at the folk festival with one of the lads.

It's a great group of people I love and.

Yeah, very good.

Well, we must get them on the bandits on the podcast at some point.

Especially the fact that You're.

That's how you started your shanty journey.

You're coming to Falmouth.

You're clearly going to be fantastic.

And of course, you've got Cornish heritage.

Yes.

So my mum's Cornish, my granddad's Cornish.

I sometimes like to say I'm Cornish, but realistically I'm part Bristolian.

But I like Cornwall in a way because it's.

Every time you go, it's always a new experience and kind of feels like everyone knows each other in place.

I used to walk when I used to.

When I was in a Falmouth sea Shane Festival, 2023, I started walking around one of my cousins, well, my mum's cousins, and every single time we walked around it was like, hey, hey, Liz.

Hey, Liz.

It was like, how does.

How does she know that many people?

It's amazing, isn't it?

That's just what Cornwall is.

It is.

Everybody knows each other and I guess to reinforce that and the world that is shanty is a small world and also a large world at the same time.

That only recently we've discovered that actually Shanty Boy's mum actually was one year above me at school.

We went to school together.

It's bonkers.

Absolutely bonkers.

Isn't that crazy?

And of course, you are very proudly wearing a Cornish tartan hat, which is all part of your image, which is fantastic.

So, yeah, you do hold the Cornish roots very well.

Of course.

Part Bristol as well.

And Bristol is a wonderful city and most good Cornish people emigrate to Bristol at some point.

I.

You also forgot one of my other statements of my look.

Yes.

I love playing the Baron.

Yeah.

I was going to talk about.

Your musical talent is not only singing, but you've also got the ability to play an instrument too.

Yes.

So the Baron is something I got for my birthday.

Nice.

Yeah.

Last year.

And I've been playing it ever since and I love it so much that I even tried to give it up for Lent.

Did you?

Yes.

Oh, my.

And it was.

It was the hardest thing to do because I kept on wanting to play it and then when I didn't play it all, I just started was playing with my hands.

Yeah.

And.

Oh, you've got rhythm, you've got beat.

And you want to express yourself through that medium.

Oh, bless you.

Well, I'm guaranteed that we will hear him at some point playing that instrument as we go on.

So for the rest of this episode, you're going to hear interviews, you're going to hear recordings, you're going to get a real Sense of what the real ale and Shanty Festival here in Bristol feels like.

Through audio.

We're also going to hear from our signaler about all the news of the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew and of course our regular slot Ahoy there Matey, which this week is Tom Lewis promoting his tour in the uk.

Yo ho ho miyatas.

It's the signaller here with all the news and the events from the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew.

Well, we had a big old month in May.

Lots of shanty activity going on and lots of festivals.

It kicked off down in Brixham with the Pirate Festival which I know that all of the crew enjoyed over the week.

Weekend dressing up is always fun when you get to dress like a pirate and when you mix it with beer, I'm sure it was equally enjoyable.

And they all love being down there to support Lobby, obviously because it's his home turf nowadays.

Then we moved on to the Bristol Rhea in Shanty Festival, our own shanty festival over two days held in Masonic hall in Bristol.

It was fantastic.

Lots and lots of people came through the doors, lots of beer, 15 shanty groups singing through two days.

It was a tremendous event and I know everybody thoroughly enjoyed it.

A quick corporate gig then followed at the we the Curious where the boys entertained.

And I know that went down with the corporate crowd.

And then we moved on to the Porter's Head Shanty Festival to support our dear friends the 85ers all in aid of RNLI.

And they managed to bring together about half a dozen, maybe more shanty crews who sung over the course of the the day there and again, a bit cold, a bit blow, but great to sing with them.

And then finally, by the time this comes up, we'll have been to the Newport Shanty Festival, just doing the Saturday I believe and I know the crowd are the crew are looking to their international, yearly international trip that we do over to Newport.

So if May was a big month and June is going to be even bigger, maybe not so much because of the number of gigs but because of the prestige, particularly of one of them.

So we start off on Sunday 8 June in the amphitheater down on the harbor side with a Walk for Life in support of the Walk for Life activity down there.

But then the big one the following weekend, the 13th, 14th, 15th of June, which is down at Falmouth for the Falmouth International Shanty Festival.

It's the biggest maritime related event in Europe.

40,000 people are there to listen to hundreds of groups singing over the Course of three days all across the town in various locations.

And we've had some great news that we've been promoted.

We're actually going on to the main stage, the Sea Salt Stage, at 5:30 on the Saturday, which is a pretty prestigious slot and with some trepidation, we are all looking forward to it.

So after that calms down, we then got a corporate gig in the Rummer with our old friends Oakland Construction, who have hired us to entertain their people for a few years now.

So unfortunately that's a closed event, not open to the general public.

So Falmouth awaits.

We are all looking forward to it immensely.

So before I sign off, let me just hand over, we're going to hear in a second from Ollie the Shanty Boy with some interviews that I think he did down at the Portishead Shanty Festival with some of the 85ers.

So for now it's bye bye from me, the Signaler signing off and fair winds and good sailing to you all.

So who am I talking to today?

My name's Lou and I'm with the 85ers.

My name's Jake, I'm with the 85ers and I'm Paul and I'm also with the 85ers.

So what got you guys started in doing the sea shanty business?

I think Paul's probably the best person to answer that question.

So we were all, we're all lifeboat crew, we're all active sea going lifeboat crew from RNLA Portishead.

And during lockdown in 2021, early 2021, we decided we wanted to sing some sea shanties and we all got together, but we didn't get together because we weren't allowed, but we were all able to record various parts of a sea shanty and then we all recorded them separately and then someone put them all together and it made quite a nice sound.

So then when we were allowed to start getting together in the Rule of Six, six of us got together at the time in the back gardens of people's houses and we started singing songs and drinking a bit of cider.

What's been the best moments of the 85ers?

I think we've had so many.

We've only been together a few years and it's been quite a short amount of time, but we've done so much.

We sang for the King at the Coronation.

I can't remember when that was.

We've sung at Stormont.

We've done so many sea shanty festivals.

Falmouth being a favourite of ours.

We're now obviously doing our own in Portishead which has been so, so exciting and we're having a really, really lovely weekend.

But I think probably, unless you guys have anything else, I think it's coronation for me.

Probably on stage would take that and all that.

Yeah, the Coronation concert was pretty special at Windsor Castle.

You know, being part of that big choir with Gareth Malone that was, that was pretty special for me.

The thing which kind of I think about a lot is we sang on the Paddington Station remembrance and that was the song which, which Paul sings beautifully, the Ceylon Boys song.

And.

And for me it was just so poignant to be there and at that moment and kind of sing that song.

It just was really full of emotion, you know.

It's lovely.

Yeah, I agree.

Sir Pallington was quite special, wasn't it?

Yeah.

Why do you think RNLI is such a big part of why we should give money to it?

So it's run well.

There's a lot of volunteers in the organization.

They all give out their time and it's all funded basically by public donations.

So we get good training and we get good kit which makes us.

Allows us to stay safe when we go out to sea and know.

And our families know that you know we're going to come back to them at the end of tricky shouts and things like that.

Have you got anything in the future that you're.

That you're planning to do or.

Yes, we've got.

We've got a few gigs coming up so we're very fortunate that we're.

We're sponsored by St.

Austell Brewery so we can do a few St.

Auster Brewery gigs.

So we go down to kind of north Cornwall around Padstow.

We also do a couple of gigs in Bristol and Bath each year but we've also got Falmouth Sea Shantling Festival coming up in June.

So yeah, that's always a favourite for us and it's nice to share with the family as well because they all come along as well.

This is going to be a hard question.

What's been the favourite sea shank you've all sang?

I think for me it's Ceylon Boys at the moment it's not.

I don't even know that it is a shanty.

It's quite a modern day piece that was written for Operation Mincemeat and Paul found it and I.

I just think it's really poignant like you said for Pockies at Paddington.

We sang it there and it's just got a really sort of it builds into such a sort of momentous, lovely, driven song.

I think it's really, really fun.

And then we also sing in one called God Damn the Amsterdam, which is completely the opposite thing.

All very fun and kind of gutsy and a bit more raw, which is lush.

So, yeah, two, two.

Very different.

Yeah, for me it's pleasant and delightful.

So a year ago in November, we went to.

We did a sea shanty kind of show, if you like, at our lifeboat station in Porter's Head.

And right at the end of the show we sang pleasant and delightful.

And I'd already arranged with the guys that I wanted to propose to my.

My then girlfriend.

And, you know, there's a.

There's a famous song and a famous line in there saying, when I return again, I'll make you my bride.

So we'd all kind of brief that.

And after that kind of line, I got down on my knee and I proposed to Nikki in front of my family and friends and stuff.

It's a real special moment.

So whenever he sings it, whenever Paul sings it for me, it hits me in the chest straight away, you know, I love it.

There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

I think the same notes on Salem Voice is really over at the moment and I guess it was because we got to sing it.

Provost of Palington, I think, you know, I.

I quite like Pleasant and delightful before, but different songs sort of are good for different venues.

It's when it's.

It depends on the mood of the crowd and everything else.

So it's okay.

Well, thanks for speaking me today and hope you guys have a good mates.

Welcome to Freemasons hall in Bristol where we are having our Real Ale and SEAS Charity Festival 2025.

So a big fundraising event for the RNLI, for Teenage Cancer Trust and for the Severn Area Rescue Authority.

But the most important thing today is to make a special announcement.

We have a new crewmate.

You'll see that we are down to 11 because paddles can't join us today because he's holidaying in Scotland.

So in mitigation, I'm delighted to introduce our new crewmate, Muff.

So Colin is joining us as our latest crewmate.

He doesn't necessarily know all the words to the songs yet, but.

So we are going to start off today' events because we're waiting for all the other crews to arrive and we're just going to have a quick first of South Australia with Nobby Darling in South Australia I was born give away all the way South Australia.

I'm Game born we're bound to South Australia oh, are you rolling?

Games give away all the way you're in missing we're bound to South Australia and fair evil way all the way there I met Miss Nancy Blair with B Australia oh, the year was 1778 I wish I was in Sherwood now When a letter of mock came from the king's coming as they lied there to say black and them all I was told in cruise sea for American gold We find no guns, shed no tears Now a broken man on the Halifax in the last of Barrett's private is well Elson Barrett riding town how his hand was he sheriff now but when he brave men all fishermen who would make for Italy and no fruit outdoors all things she's around the brick with creaking in us all and quack her over will he her wing with fall and crack, hey.

Fall and crack till you fall and cry all till the devil takes you Paul and crag on some rump and fall St.

Lucia fall and drag two for me and one for you, sir.

Fall and drag, hey.

Okay, so today we are trying to raise money for charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust.

I think ports of Bristol shanty crew have raised so far, I think 44,000 towards this charity.

So fair play.

So I'm here to support them for that.

Yes.

Who are you you hoping to see further.

Further on this festival?

Okay, so I rather like the idea of.

I.

I've got absolutely no ideas but the.

The Barnacle Boys and the Beach Boys.

I like.

They sound good.

I want to listen to those.

Oh, thank you again.

Oh, for just one time.

I will take the northwest passage to find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the first sea Tracing one more the funniest dream of all I dreamt of see you behind the G and she said little lies I love you hey Little lies I love you I love you in the springtime and the lies I love you Little eyes I love you I love you Last night beneath a spreading bar I wish I was a cabin boy I'm more than man of war I was gone away I'm border man of war oh, I wish I was cat boy I'm border man of war Sam's gone away aboard a man of war Many were brave boys Greedy word I say sans gone away on board a man of war Greedy word Brave boys Green word I say sand's gone away A horme from Martinique the rum sweet red cabernet from Italy has come but the fairest of them only boys the one to win the show Is made from apples of the mighty Vireo so follow me, lads Cows is hanged around a rail One pint down, you'll be swimming in the gale Five pints bully, you'll be shaking in your shoes we'll half seat over on the Jolly Room.

Could you tell me what's going on here at the.

It's the beer and shanty festival, which is two of my favourite things in the world.

Of course, it's everyone's.

Yes.

What's your favorite band so far?

Well, I've only heard one band which was the.

Oh, the ones I've just heard which were the.

The ones with the Hawaiian shirts.

Really good.

Is that the back Beach Boys.

Beach Boys.

They're the ones who are very good.

Yes.

Have you.

Who are you hoping to see in the.

In this festival?

Well, I'm.

I'm here for the whole weekend so I'm gonna hear everything.

So I will probably buy.

After 16 hours I will probably.

My head will explode.

Road.

I'm.

I'm looking forward to band called the Merchant Men.

Who are a young band.

I know one singer, Sam, they were terrific last year.

Really interesting.

They are very good.

I personally know Sam very well.

He's very lovely man.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And then Bristol girls are great fun.

And the bottom was the shanty crew.

I have to say that because it's their podcast, isn't it?

Yes.

But beyond that I'm just gonna.

I'm just gonna go from.

From room to room and just see how much I can hear and see if I can keep a note of how many.

How many songs I.

I hear.

Yeah.

So we've had.

Are you going to do a little bingo on how many are they going to do exactly?

We've had living of Liverpool and New York girls so far, which I think we're going to hear a lot of.

Yeah, I'm expecting.

Yeah.

Junk and Akanaka.

Of course.

Yes.

But yeah, it's cool.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Thank you, mate.

Yeah.

And I've been very careful.

I've had my first pint of beer, but I'm not gonna.

I'm not gonna aim to drink beer.

So I'm.

I'm not conscious enough to listen to the end of the end of the show.

Oh yeah, yeah.

I bet that's gonna be half people, but half of you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You don't drink, do you?

No, I'm too young.

Pull away Pull where you must come Lies to the all of my knees Clearing the tracking Let the bullshit run on the whiskey here Pull away Pull Away you must dun the lift of our get to tavern on the Strand he also had a tortoise bear Pretty little thing with golden hair hey, won't you come down?

Won't you come down?

Won't you come down beyond the town Won't you come down?

Won't you come down?

Won't you come down beyond the town now in the town a man who asks her daughter for her hand why should I marry you?

She said I get what I want without being with hey, will you come down?

Won't you come down?

Why won't you come down to y Come down, won't you come down Won't you come down to y process now my ear telling you no life Once I read them under fields a trail across the sky I spun all around me and there's poison in the air There's a nasty smell that smacks up hell and dust all in me hair dance Go boys, go they'll tie near every breath and every tick Here in this place you're today is near a death but you well, I've got some on the spinner But I breathe the unity smoke I've shoveled up the chips I've been at night I'll make you choke I stood meaty with cyanide I sick with caustic burn I've been working rough I've seen enough to make your stomach turn let's go boys, go now time your every breath for every day Every two days there a d There's overtime and bonus opportunity the lawyer the young men like their money and they all come back for more soon you're knocking on and you look older than you should A referee Bob made all his job get paid as blood let's go boys, go that's how you're every ref and every day you're in this place you're today's near and dead but you go boys, go that's how you're every breath and every day you're in this place you make there's one in the captain crew song by captain there's no problem Captain Brown in the captain's table so by the captain oh, what should we do?

Where is Louis?

All the heels are worn out and the toes are kicked up and now they're looking out for better weather Australia haul away South Australia round Cape Horn we're back to South Australia Hauling eagle away Haul away all the way and hear me sing with bounds at the stray as I went out one hauling back evil way haul away there I met Ms.

Nancy Blair we're bound for South Australia Fin the day away Santiano Napoleon of the west say Sail along the plains of Mexico oh Weaver up and the way we will go away Sang river up and away will go all along the pacing hope 14 ships have sailed the sea proudly Daring our lack's name A there's one that will never again O Ellen Valen of the Island Company Lost in the Irish Sea at 1am in Ramsey Bay the captain tear was heard to say Our contract says we'll deliver the this mail in this rough weather we must not fail O the Island Company Lost in the Irish Sea With A crew of 21 man men passengers Liverpool businessmen Farewell well to moaners I'll farewell.

This little ship is bound for hell.

Hello.

Could you please tell me what's going on today?

So it's the Shanti Festival Ale and Shanti Festival, the Bristol Masonic Grounds.

So this is in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, yeah.

Teenage Cancer Trust, yes, indeed.

Could you tell me what's been your favourite band so far?

Obviously favourite is the Bristol Santi Crew.

Yes, they are basically the ones that are actually organizing all.

But we've seen pretty much all the ones we've seen have actually been really, really good.

High quality all the time.

Yeah.

Thank you.

They're high qual.

Great people.

Great people.

Lots of original songs as well.

So we've seen lots of things and not even just repeating the same old songs.

Yes.

So it's really good.

What are you hoping to see going forward, like tomorrow if you're coming here.

So tomorrow.

No, it's a day off tomorrow.

But we know that loads of friends of ours are coming down tomorrow.

We're going to meet up with them today.

But no, they can't.

Okay.

So they're coming down tomorrow.

So it's really massive in terms of supports and stuff.

So.

Yeah.

Are you going to any other, like, shanty festivals?

So I heard that there's one down in Portishead that was like last weekend and there's also one in Newport.

Yeah, might go to that one as well.

Yeah.

And also the Bristol Shanty Crew were down at Brixham at the Pirate Festival.

Yeah, yeah, I heard that was really good.

But it wasn't that.

Yeah, I.

It's very.

It's very lovely there.

Yeah, yeah, I went a couple of.

Couple of.

So we went to Brixham a few years ago.

We belong to a sailing club and we've had the Shanty Crew down on a couple of occasions and they're great.

Yeah, yeah.

So we do a Club week every week, every year.

It's very family oriented.

Very family oriented.

Like a week off.

And the Bristol Shanty crew, we.

We got them in and they did a massive, very big set.

Well, thanks to talking to me today.

And I am.

I hope I see you in other places.

You probably will.

Yes.

Thanks for talking to me.

Okay, that's good.

Well, it was on a Monday morning and the baby called p to foul the big star Some of the boys to have a time but just before a sailor took the gangway from the pier A source of pearl.

Homie went for more as a volunteer.

We all cry oh me oh my I think I thought we died oh me oh my I heard me all my sake I wish I'd never taken this extra around the lake.

We had all 300 souls aboard it was a splendid sight all dressed up in our finery to make our spirits bright Maywash.

She starts to giggle what a funny thing they say they choke themselves from laughing when they see her in the bay hey.

Oh me oh my I heard the old one cry oh me oh my I think I'm going to die oh me oh my I could be almost safe I wish I never taken this exchange away Low and down blowing right back into all this cool sound Give me some time to blow and down as I was a walking and pull the wind straight just Hey.

A charming young damsel a chancel to meet Give me some time to blow the man down Blow the man down to me don't mend the flag on the way the flowers they herald of s death her partnership don't even think about whistling on board.

Oh, wearing your hands we are clean.

Don't step on the deck with your leave the ocean is a lonely place where the storms are many at the she down below gate hall over trouble walls and restless skies Sea that morning all rise at night down the rolling aside the ocean sailing down below Cape Horn Won't you ride the wind and go White seabird Ride the wind and go Molly Mountain on the southern ocean Sailing down below Cape Horn how the molly mole glides on his great white river Praise the Lord what a lonesome song he sings down upon the southern ocean Sailing down below Cape Horn he's got no canvas and he's got no gear Nobody knows how the moly Morse is Down upon the southern ocean sailing down Won't you ride the wind and go Wide seabed Ride the wind and go Bollymore Sally a girl that lives in our alley way hey pulling the alley Sally is a girl from Shinburn Bully on the shingle now so help me ball I'm bully the alleyway Bully in the alley Help me ball bun Bully in the alley Bully on the shape mo now Sally is a girl that pile up dearly way hey Bully in the alley Sally is a girl that buys flies dearly Bully on the shimbo now so help me Paul I'm bullying the alleyway hey hey Bully me alley Help me ball I'm bullying the alley Bully on the ship Seven long years I call it Sally way hey Bullying the alley all she did was dillian ball Bully on the shimbo now so help me rob I'm bullying the alleyway hey Billy in the alleyway Help me all I'm bullying the alley Bully on the shingle I bet silent gonna be the savior Help me ball I'm bullying the alley Bully on the ship all night and in the year of a Lord 1860 we set sail from the sweet culver car we were sailing away A carnival explored the grass City hall in New York was a craft she was ringed for now I know how the wind didn't go where she can stand and several rags she had 27 knives they call her the Irish ruler we had 1 million bags of the best legal rags.

We had single million barrels of stones.

We had 3 million bales of Onan eagle's tails with 4 million barrels of bones.

We have 5 million dogs with gold in great stone and I never.

I went into an el house I used to frequent and I called a landlady Ban Bueng was faint I asked her for bread and she answered me nay.

She's a horse said custom Love yours I can get any gunship Mars unholy weapon oh 900 souls on a moon Smoke and fire sent you to the floor all you can send Nordic vessel warning down really strong burn coats to rain king be when Austin Croz are jump all way all the way all the way together Away all the way, all the way all the way all the way along.

You cannot smile all the way.

You cannot even stand up straight with a package Sheets are rolling way all the way all the way.

Jo.

All the way Go all the way together all the way all the way to where?

All the way, all the way all the way Go all the way all the way all the way together.

The chorus out please shout me back on him.

It's very easy.

Goes Rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the pub.

Rolling down to Bristol town Rolling down to the pub we follow the ghost of Blackbeard's crew And feral Bristol town From the hare on the hill to the seven stars that are hatchets in the crown Then in the pub we'll gather round Our voice is loud and true so gatherwine pull up and share and join in with the crew we're rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the pub Rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the pub and I can say this next verse Cause you're in Australia you may talk of a shanty Fans that dread not are the longest jaunts with the port of Bristol Shanty crew Sing the greatest songs Singing songs of the ocean Singing songs of the sea so I'll drink up these side of wines and night will Mary be We're rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the pub Rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the pub Is the king of bosun soul or somebody alone will roll it on chariot alone will roll it old chariots along and we all hang on behind our long spelling jail wouldn't do us any harm no one long spelling jail would do us any harm no one long spelling jail wouldn't do us any harm Life Ahoy there matey.

Ahoy there.

This is Tom Lewis coming to you from my home aboard the barge vendor moored at Carrick on Shannon in Ireland.

Yes, Lynn and I live afloat and have done for most of the past 10 years.

Years.

I'm looking forward very much to being interviewed on this podcast quite soon, I understand, and to sharing with you the often arcane but fascinating, at least fascinating to me.

Details embedded in sea shanties and even in some of my own compositions.

But before then I'll be touring in the UK and Justin has very kindly suggested that I give you a few details of that upcoming tour.

Tour?

Very soon we shall be casting off for a tour of the English folk clubs in our car.

We're not going to cruise this vessel across the Irish Sea.

And by the time you're hearing this, the first gig at Newcastle upon Tyne's famous Bridge Tavern on Monday should be history, as will Wednesday at Wrighton's Town Folk.

In the hope that while I will have survived this, we shall then be making a southernly course to the lower regions of England, wherein that section of the tour will commence on Saturday, June 7 at the Folk of Gloucester, not a huge distance from Bristol, I might point out.

Thereafter I shall be up around the London area.

Lewes, Plymouth, Saint Neots, Portsmouth.

Which sounds more like a benefit gig for the oil company.

Never mind, you can check out the full itinerary on my website.

At www.thomlewis.net that's www tom lewis.net chat soon hope to see you a sailor Ain't a sailor ain't a sailor anymore Ahoy there, mate.

Dreamy morning in December December and all of me money it was spent, spent, spent but where it went to Laura can't remember, remember so down to the ship in office I went, went, went Paddy lay back padding my back taking the slack taking the slack Take a turn around the captain Eva bout ship station boys be handy, be handy but bound them out the riser a and the whole that day there was a great demand for sailors for the colonies, for Frisco and for France.

So I shipped aboard a liney Bart the Hotspur the Hotspur and got Paris she runs great with drinking Winners fall at work her own will he her win would fall and crack they fall and crack we fall and crack oh, till devil takes you Fall and ride Observed from purple seclusion Fall and ride Two for me and one for you to fall and drag Checking where it's warm and cozy Gather with those happy boys when it seems all red and rosy again I ho chicken on a rock Chicken on a rock On a Monday morning oh, what a terrible sight to see Rain on a rock Chicken on a rock hey ho, chicken on the rock Gave me the middle and a 4 minute to hi ho chicken on the rock and now I'm singing with a saddle hi hick on the rut Seagulls mowing on my head I ho chicken on a rock and I should be sleeping in a feather bed Heigh ho, chicken on a rut Chicken on a rock Call my neighbor me oh, what a terrible sight to see anyone's heard their podcast.

So I wrote this song.

Not really a songwriter, but I wrote this song about two years ago and I recorded it on YouTube.

It's on the album that just came out.

Pretend it's new, right?

It is.

And somehow Justin from the I don't know his bloody stage name adjusted heard this song.

What's it called?

Augie?

Like a pasty?

Yes.

Anyway, he heard this song, Tom, and they had a podcast by the same name.

Very cool.

Can we use.

Can we use your song?

Of course you can use your song.

And they said, can we play your song?

And then they didn't.

But apparently they're going to play it later.

Maybe they just wanted me to do it first.

Ship.

Oh, my God.

This is what the melody's meant to go like.

Ship shape a Bristol fashion noise along the harbor side from even ghost to wonderful Even roll the line Secure the barrel down the door by even tying asher this vessel she is turned on my Egypt shaper is the Asha from her home in Bristol is set out from the cave A ship is full of sp bump on Medicaid sugar In the hope of the hope for a speed of the crow it sails on crown and cast and rays itself to see we go shape shape the rest of Russian boys along the Horizide from even those to wonderful even roll alive Secure the barrel down the door line and silence how all you know how first you jokers and rogues we're on the road to nowhere let's find out where it goes goes it might be a ladder to the stars who knows of all you little hoppers you jokers and ro Laying your furrow in the field when it's all with only jolly draw it's all warm in here and tobacco our 10 Tony tail non molasses drinking drink Far across the western ocean I Where are we?

Boots big noggin doggy bites I stole them for their act about building because the souls were very big and the others played it and the heels riding a better way and it's all for me wrong it's only for me wrong it's all for me Here at the battle for a spent on me tail on the massive drinking far across the western ocean I was wonder oh, we all got drunk in Dublin say fall down, Biggie and we all got drunk and mo's a pity Fall down, big o' Shea Hey, Fall down fall down Fall down, Billy we're out of the way for a Mary Kay Fall down, Billy o' Shea oh, we lay down drunk on Sir Rogerson's quay Fall down, big a ly and went we woke we were out to sea Fall down, baby o' Shay Hey, Fall down, fall down fall down, Billy we'll find a way for Mary Kay Fall down, video shade no, we are no sailors, Captain dear Fall down Beginning from the beasting pointer we foster Fall down, video shade hey.

Fall down, fall down, fall down the way for America all down Billy o' Shay they sent him up to the top past yard Fall down, big Billy when he hit the deck he hit him hard Fall down, Billy o' Shay Hey, Fall down, fall down, fall down we're bound to make for Mary Kay Pull down the o' Shay they wrapped him up in a canvas tail Pull down, Billy and slowed him gently over the rail Pull down, video shade hey, Fall down, fall down fall down, Biddy we're bound away for America Fall Down, Pioche, over the sign and down he goes.

Farewell, Lily 2 Baby Jones with a stitch through his nose.

Farewell, Billy O' Shea.

Farewell, farewell, farewell.

Who am I talking to right now?

Well, you're talking to Steve Collings and.

And Catherine Collings.

Yeah.

And we are Cask.

That's C A S K.

Stands for Collings A Cappella Shanty Crew.

So how did you guys start?

Well, we're a father and daughter duo.

We've both been doing theatre for many, many years.

And then seven years ago, Kathryn was diagnosed with fnd, dysfunctional neurological disorder, which then prevented her from being on stage.

But being a singer, we wanted to keep her going.

So we've been doing pirate festivals before and the problem was dressing as pirates.

My skirts were getting caught in the wheels of my wheelchair and dad, as an offhand comment, just said, why don't you dress as a mermaid?

And so I did, and now I make mermaid tails, headdresses, tops, necklaces, all that kind of stuff.

And I swim in my mermaid tails as well now.

Yeah.

So Catherine used to be able to love swimming before her diagnosis and then phoned after having got an fnd.

She wasn't able to swim, but once you put her in her tail, she's like a fish to water.

Yeah, of course.

Could you please tell me, like, what's the best moment of Cask so far?

The best moment?

It's just the pleasure of actually being able to sing with my daughter, bring pleasure to a lot of people, pleasure to ourselves, and also raise funds to charity.

Yeah.

My absolute favorite bits are when we do a song and we get it absolutely right and the harmonies are just really.

Yes.

And it's when you get those.

Those moments and you just sort of go, yeah, yeah.

Could you please tell me, like, how you guys got interested in sea shades in the first place?

Right.

No, for me, I came across sea Sh.

Aunties back in 1964.

Okay.

When I.

Quite a while.

When I started junior school or primary school, I started playing recorder and my mother had a book called Songs that Will Live Forever, which was published by the Daily Express.

We still have it, which we still haven't.

Like, memorabilia for you.

And there was a section in there which was shanties, and so I learned about those at the age of seven.

Then I sort of dropped off when I got to my teens.

And then when I moved back to Devon, I came across.

I've been doing theatre and I've been acting as a smuggler, which I've been doing now for 36 years.

And the local Women's Institute said, oh, can you come and sing some shanties?

So I revisited them, looked them up and learned a lot of them.

And then a friend of mine said, oh, we think we're starting up a shanty crew which is called the Back Beach Boys.

Oh, you were proud of that?

I was one of the originals.

I feel like I'm honored I'm talking to you.

And we ended up.

I joined them.

Been singing with them now for 12 years.

Catherine's been hearing all the songs we were doing.

Latched onto them, loved them.

I way I got introduced to them was I was in an acapella choir from the time I was about.

No, I was about 8.

And I started doing things with Ren Music, which is based out of Oakhampton, and we were doing a lot of world music and some shanties came up as well.

And I was trying to almost get a qualification through doing things.

And I had to teach, I had to do a workshop, I had to set up a workshop and I did it with the Back Beach Boys.

And it was a shanty that they didn't do, but it was one I knew.

So I actually taught them a shanty.

Which one was it?

Sugar in the Hold.

Oh, I love that one.

Is it?

Yes, it is that one.

I've never heard the version that I do anywhere else, which is very interesting.

Yes.

It was arranged by the group Ren Music.

Yeah.

And then sort of when dad was going to the shanty festivals, I was going along because of course, as dad said, I was joining in and I got known as Eric.

I was their half pint member for a little while.

Yeah.

And it was brilliant.

And I got to sing with the Longest Johns before they were big.

I got to sing with the Longest Johns when I was 15.

Wow.

And also that year I started singing in the finale at Falmouth and I have done every single year since.

Oh, okay.

That's.

That's great.

I really appreciating of you.

Talk, guys.

Talking to me.

Thank you.

What's your name?

My name's my.

My stage name is Shanty Boy.

But you guys can call me Shanty Boy if you want to.

Yeah, Shanty Boy, absolutely.

Thank you.

Thanks for talking.

Yeah, thanks for talking to me.

That's right.

Shall have some.

Carry him to his burial ground to be where he saw thee Walk him along jump Carry him along to be way hey.

Carry it to his burial and sing Glory hallelujah that's enough for me.

We set sail on the evening tide it was only a on a Saturday night All Went well to the tilly light and then by God, I got a light.

The ship was hit by a big beam.

Sea Christ, I thawed it all off for me.

She rolled and she lolloed like an old tin drum her life thought the time had won.

Sailed from Auckland to the bluff A thousand miles and that's enough.

A thousand miles on the heaving sea Sea glory hallelujah.

That's enough for me.

Short and sail the skip I ride.

Short and sail all you buggers will or die.

Get aloft, get aloft.

Get up the mast.

Get aloft, get aloft, get up the mast.

Never in my life have I been so scared.

Never in my life have I wished I was dead.

But I climbed up aloft and I shortened sail.

I climbed down again.

I was sick o the rail.

I was sick and again.

Oh for just one time I will take the northwest passage to find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the sea Tracing one more line through all and sweet to make a northwest passage to the sea.

O for just one time I will take a northwest passage to find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the first sea.

Tracing one more line through a soul well and savage to make the north west passage to the sea.

Then we will have one more round of filter that won't let us slumber all the night long.

You will no to drink to the pleasure we yawned our most.

Then we will have one more round.

We'll drink to our ladies so fair and so fine all the night long, ladies, all the night long.

They spent some have money and drinks all our wine.

All night long, ladies, all night long.

Raise me a tumbler.

Certainly will drink it all down.

Then we will have one more round Sunset county so friendly.

I'll tell you a story about the high season and it's got very short, it's got very long.

Give me some time to go back out.

Methinks I see a host of crab spreading theirselves a leaf as down the humber they too glide.

O back for the northern sea Methinks, my sea on each small craft of druid heart so brave Setting out to earn their daily bread upon the restless wave.

And is 3 score and 10 boys and men were lost from Grimsby Town.

From young cometh down to star Many hundreds more drowned.

Our herring craft are trawlers, Our fishing smacks as well.

They long to fight that bittern light and battle with the the sand.

Methinks I see them yet again as they leave the land behind Casting their nets into the sea those fishing shows to find Methinks I see them yet again and all on boards or right with the cells close free and the decks cleaned up and the side lights burning bright and his three store and 10 boys and men were lost From Grimsby Town From Y.

You are speaking to the merchantman made up of Ethan, Freddy, Bobby, Tom, Sam.

So please tell me, what's your best moments that you've had so far?

Well, not that moment where I just spill everyone's drink on the table.

Yeah.

Oh, no, you've just ruined another beer.

What has our best moment been?

Are we talking personal or just around the band?

I think if I met.

I think.

I think a moment which was just very special was we.

I believe it was when we did a gig in Western and there was a couple that had come from Kent to come and see us.

Yeah.

And I think that's a moment where we all looked at each other a bit like from Kent.

We made it.

Yes.

Oh, one of.

One of mine was we did a gig in a pub in Summerton just after lockdown and everything was being lifted.

Yeah.

No, no.

And a bunch of people had printed off the lyrics from our album online, which is like.

It's just an album for us, really.

But it was really cool to see people passing around the lyric sheets that they.

Yeah, I didn't know.

I didn't know that.

That's really nice.

You were there, I wasn't there.

But one of our best gigs.

Oh, yeah, you won't.

How did you guys start?

Well, we're all friends from school.

Was it Sam, Ethan and I and Tom were in the same year then.

Bobby was the year below.

We're all musical people, theater people and, you know, we did choirs and things.

Then one day we all just sort of got our heads together and thought, what could we do?

We all liked, like to have a sing song and I can't remember which one it was.

One of our first two songs was Bully in the Alley and Randy, Leave Her Johnny.

Yeah, and Leave Her Johnny.

And I can't remember who learned that one first, but that's sort of where we started.

And then we used to play at lunches on a Wednesday.

And then eventually we got to do like, the first big concert was doing like the end of year prize giving for our year.

And then it was just, you know, rocketing up from there to the stratosphere of success.

That being local pubs and, you know, weddings of friends.

Yeah, that's sort of how it started.

Who was like, who started.

How did you start?

With sea shanties and like, who liked.

How did you start liking sea shanties.

So Freddie and I take great pride in saying that we started the group, but in truth, I think it was one which was like, sure, we asked for, like, hey, shall we make a group?

So, like we already had.

Knew who it would be and everything that.

And I'm not going to lie, part of it was from playing Assassin's Creed.

Black Flag.

I love.

I.

I do like Assassin's Creed.

Exactly, exactly.

It's a.

Which one was it?

Because I think Rogue also had a.

Another.

Yeah.

Had sea shanies in it as well.

I think it was Black Flag.

And then we already a lot of us, I guess maybe because of being Somerset, it's sort of like the sort of folk community and stuff.

It's all.

Yeah, it's almost.

Almost ingrained to you.

And so we sort of started hearing some of the music and thinking, yeah, let's give it a go.

And we.

We are very, very lucky that we have.

Of course everyone's very.

Everyone's very good in the group, but that we have two very talented musicians in the group in Tom and Bobby.

Yeah, yeah.

So.

So you guys started out in some.

You guys are Somerset, right?

Yeah.

Do you have any other plans or is any.

I think sing until we die in our mid-50s from alcohol poisoning.

We have something in the work.

Do you want to talk about it?

Yeah.

So a few years ago, we were.

Lockdown had just been lifted and we were looking for something to spend our summer doing and I had recently got a microphone for Christmas and we thought, why not have a go at recording an album?

Yeah.

So we managed to put that together.

So our first album, alright My Lovers, is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube.

But we didn't really want to stop there.

We learned a load of songs since then, some of which we actually prefer to the original songs that we started out loud learning.

So we're now putting together our second album, as yet untitled.

Watch this space.

But that's a.

That's a good lot of fun that we're having with at the moment that hopes to be released.

Do you guys know if this is gonna be a permanent thing or you're gonna.

You said do it till you're 50, but I hope so in my head.

This is something that just gets us to meet up.

Yeah.

Because we've all moved away from Somerset now and we're all sort of spread across.

Well, I'm in Bristol.

We're all spread across the country and it's just something we all enjoy doing still, I think.

And we all meet up to do it.

It's always just a big laugh.

So I'm hoping we do it at least once a year for the rest of our lives.

When I are you could finally leave.

Thank God what we say on that day.

Well, thank you for talking to me, guys like.

And I hope you guys have a good future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

You'd wish to God you'd never been born hello to l our ancestors before us when it comes down to the chorus, Find a key or harmony and join us in the morning like mountain I stroll in the pl was the fathers I day pray and the fishermen say shout the memories still for me all delightful and free for this is my God's land and this is not me and no one will ever save me from this hand until the Lord calls me to sit at his hand for this is my heaven and I'm not alone this is my country.

Hello.

Who am I talking to today?

Trevor.

Trevor Baines.

And who are you a part of?

I'm part of the Beach Boys shanty crew.

And Claire's asked what's been the best moment of being a part of the Beach Boys.

Just a camaraderie and all singing together and enjoying ourselves.

Making money for our charity, the Raxall Children's Hospice.

Every penny we make goes to two then.

Yeah.

And so far, just over 10,000.

Just over 10,000?

Yeah.

£10,000 last year goes there.

Well, you.

That's.

That's a big effort to be doing.

It is a big effort.

It's a lot of nights out.

It's a lot of commitment.

Yeah.

We don't get paid at all for it.

Yeah.

How did you all start?

Oh, now, there's a long story.

My Keith and myself started with the steep homers.

Ah, so you started with them.

And.

And then we mutinied and we.

We became the Western Mutineers.

Yeah.

And then we jumped ship from the Western Mutineers and became the Beach Boys.

Yeah.

So cool.

Cuz we're all washed up.

Yeah.

Could you all tell me like, if you got any other plans or any next things?

Keep living and keep going as long as we can keep enjoying it.

That's.

That's the thing.

Tablets and the.

The inoculations and nursery does look after us on the side.

Keep.

Keep ducking and hoping that.

That no one actually hits us.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Moving targets.

That's where I'm going to be hit.

Yes.

So you say you raise money.

Have you.

Do you raise money for any other charities or.

It's just obviously We.

We help raise money for other charities.

We're here today raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

We occasionally raise money for the rnli, and also our main charity is the Raxall Children's Hospice and for other smaller children's charities.

So hopefully we're going to be making donations.

Yes, we're going to start doing stuff for smaller charities as well.

Charities that perhaps don't get a lot that we've got to.

We've got to investigate that.

Yeah.

So thank.

So how.

So you started with steep Palmers and how.

How did all the members come in?

So we hoodwink.

Hoodwinked them.

Yeah.

We bribed them with beer and nights out socializing.

Yeah, yeah.

We couldn't lure them with ladies because there are no ladies in their.

And so it's well masculine only at the moment.

Oh, yeah.

So for now, just to say we never take on young ladies to support ladies to sing with us.

We have some schwags, but there are partners and wives and.

That's right.

Yeah.

Sailors, girlfriends and wives.

Will you be able to bribe me with some drinks and some.

Well, I don't know.

How old are you?

I'm 14.

Oh, well, obviously no, turn the microphone off at the camera.

But you can keep pretty good rhythm, can't you?

Yeah, I can keep rhythm.

We saw that today.

No, I'm mainly singing with other groups.

Like if they ever ask.

Oh, could I.

Could you sing with us?

I'll be.

Oh, yeah, sure.

And I'll just go on up, sing with them.

I've sung with the Merchant Men and I've sung with other.

Lots of other groups.

Said that earlier we would have had you singing with us.

Didn't know you were into singing as well, so.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, thank you for talking to me today and I hope you guys have a lovely rest of your day.

Thank you very much indeed.

Thank you.

Good luck.

So that's it for another episode of Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

I hope you've enjoyed it.

It's been great to hear all the different crews from around the local area that's helped us at the Real Ale and Shanty Festival.

The good news is that we will return next year, so look out for further dates and how to access tickets obviously into next year.

But of course you can always come back to this episode and hear some of the crews that have sung for us.

Now, if you're not a member of our newsletter, then please do pop over to shipshape podcast.co.uk newsletter.

A little pop up will come up and it'll ask you to enter in your email email address and it's a really great way to hear up to date current information, news, reviews and stuff that we think that you would be interested in.

So please do pop over to that website to receive our newsletter.

On this month's newsletter we're going to have exclusive links that take you to two recorded Port of Bristol shanty sets that were recorded at the Real Airland Shanty Festival.

So yes, we don't have a cd, but you can listen to this and hear all of our classics.

So do please do subscribe just to hear those tunes.

So that's it for this month.

So thank you again for listening and to play us out, we have got the one and only Kael Dean, who of course wrote Shipshape in Bristol Fashion, the podcast's theme tune.

He sang at the Real Ale and Shanti Festival and this is a recording of him singing with us being his backing singers.

So take care Fair winds and follow in seas we set out from the cave with in the hull below for sway and the crow it settles and fur and catch and rays it's up to seaweed shake and bristle Confession exact Of sailing ships the strengths and all the flaws Only the greatest myself can navigate this gorge so steady and the pygmy boys KE over on your side Our shipment to secure me lads along the morning tide I am no climb and tyum mattam this vessel she is survived To Baltimore's Fair harbor the trade men blow us north we battle with the gale Sailing for southwest and north Far over the Atlantic that's where we'll make our round but it won't be long at all until the Bristol home abound shape and crystal fashion boys on the other side from la It.