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 asserts a mind ship shape from Bristol Fashion.

So welcome to this very, very special episode of Shipshape and 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 and some of the artists that are performing here.

Now, clearly I can't do everything all by myself because we just keep getting bigger and bigger and there's lots of people here.

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 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.

It's happy that I'm gonna record and talk to people about the stuff that and we all enjoy because Shanti's 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 Ollie 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 other crews that he hangs around with and his mum takes him everywhere these days.

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 shanty 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 all around England talking about sea shanties.

And I loved hearing all the sea songs and sea stories.

And it was only like 2024 is when I sang at the Falmouth Sea Shiny 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 shanty 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 shanties as much as I do and be a part of the inner workings of the shanty community, which is going to be.

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

You said you, 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.

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.

I love that I talk to 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.

You're a very confident young man.

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

Who are your hero 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 the West.

Knowing a bit more about shanti.

Oh, heroes, like, it's hard to choose because there's so many.

The 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.

Also got to sing at the folk festival with one of the lads.

It's great group of people I love.

Very good.

Well, we must get them on the podcast at some point, especially 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 Shang Festival, 2023, I started walking around with one of my cousins, well, my mum's cousins.

And every single time you walked around, it was like, hey, hey, Liz.

Hey, Liz.

It was like, how does she.

How does she know that many people?

It's amaz, isn't it?

That's just what Cornwall is.

It is like that 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 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.

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 goodness.

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 you've got rhythm, you've got beat, and you want to express yourself through that medium.

Yeah.

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 set 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, me artists.

It's the Signaler 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 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 Rille Isle 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 friend Z85ers 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 and a bit blowy, but great to sing with them.

And then finally, by the time this comes up, we'll have been to the Newport Chansey Festival, just doing a Saturday, I believe.

And I know the crowd or the crew are looking 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 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.

Hi, 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 RNLI 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 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.

It was good fun.

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've.

We sang for the King at 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 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 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 Paul sings beautifully, the Ceylon Boys song.

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, Poppy.

Sir Pallington was quite special, wasn't it?

Why do you think RNLI is such a big.

A big part of why we should give money to it?

So this is run well, there's a.

There's a lot of volunteers in.

In the organization.

They all give up their time and.

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 our families know that, you know, we're going to come back to them at the end of the day 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 Saint Auster Brewery, so.

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.

In Bristol and Bath each year, but we've also got Falmouth Sea Shackling Festival coming up in.

In June.

So, yeah, that's always a favorite 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 favorite?

Sea Chinese all sang.

I think for me it's Salon Boys at the moment.

It's not.

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

It's quite a modern piece that was written for Operation Mincemeat and Paul found it and I just think it's really poignant, like you said, for puppies 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 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 then girlfriend.

And, you know, 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, 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, dry eye in the house.

I think the same notes on Salem Voice is really evident and I guess it was because we got to sing at the Provost of Palington.

I think, you know, I quite like pleasant and delightful before, but different songs sort of are good for different venues.

It's when it depends on the mood of the crowd and everything else.

Well, thanks for speaking me today and hope you guys have a good future 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 Seven 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 Paddles moment in mitigation.

I'm delighted to introduce our new crewmate.

Colin's 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's events because we're waiting for all the other crews to arrive, but we're just going to have a quick verse of South Australia with Nobby D.

In South Australia I was born Peel away all the way South Australia I came horn We're Bound to South Australia oh, are you rolling games all the way?

You're hearing me sing.

We're back to South Australia.

As I walked out one morning Fair evil way all the way there I met Miss Nancy Blair Went back to South Australia oh, The year was 1778 I know was his Sherwood now When a letter of moth came from the kings of his coming as they arrived at the same time I was going through Seek for American gold we find no guns, shed no tears I'm a broken man on a habitat the last of Barrett's privacy well, Elsie Barrett riding town how his I was his sheriff now but when he broke that all fisherman who would make for Italy and no fruit I can them all sailors ran tamper roar on the solid seas until we strike soundings in the channel of England from the earth to say it's 35 she's around the brick with creaking in us all and wag her oak bar oak will heave her windward Fall and crack hey.

Fall and crack till he fall and crag all Til the devil takes you Paul and crag for solution all and drag Two for me and one for you, sir.

And drag hey.

Welcome to Rolling in the Yami all and drag.

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

I think ports of Bristol shanty cre 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 hoping to see further further on this festival?

Okay, so I rather like the idea of.

I've got absolutely no ideas but the.

The Barnacle Boys and the Beach Boys.

I like them.

They sound good.

I want to listen to those.

Oh, than come again O for just one time I will take the Northwest Passage to find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the first sea Tracing one more I had a dream the funniest dream of all I dreamt Eli see you behind the garden and she said Little eyes I love you hey, little eyes I love you I love you in the springtime and the funny little eyes I love you hey, little eyes I love you I love you the best song I live I live I walked my trail last night Beneath a spreading bar I wish I was a catboy on board a man of war Sam's gone away on board a man of war oh, I wish I was cowboy on board a man of war Sam's gone away aboard a man of war really was brave boys Free word I say Sam's gone away aboard a man of War Free word, brave boys Free word, I say sand gone away of all a mil from Martinique the rum sweet red cabernet from Italy has come but the fairest of the mouldy boys the one to win the show is made from apples of the mighty Vireo so follow me, lads Cows is hanged up on a rail One pint down, you'll be swimming in the gale Five pints bully, you'll be shaking in your shoes where your heart seats 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 that were very good.

Yes.

Have you.

Who are you hoping to see in the.

In this festival?

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 works explode.

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 Bristow 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 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, thank you, mate.

And I'm being very careful.

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

I'm not going to aim to drink beer, so I'm.

I'm not conscious enough to listen to.

To the end of.

The end of the show.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

I bet that's going to be half people, but half of you yeah, yeah.

You don't drink, do you?

No, I'm too young.

Run forward you must die.

To the all of mighty Clearing the track and let the bullshit run the shrunk.

He also had a to pretty little thing with now in the town A man who asks her daughter for her hand.

Why should I marry you?

She said I guess what I want without being with.

Hey, come down, won't you come down?

What process now my ear telling you no life Once I breathed among the fields a trail across the sky.

I splendor 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 Lions go boys go.

They'll tie me every breath and every day in this relation to a near death but you know well I worked among the spirit But I'm breathing any smoke I've shoveled up the chips I'm grinning nigh I'll get you too.

I stood knee deep inside night I'm sick with a caustic burn I've been working rough I've seen enough to make your stomach turn.

Let's go boys go now.

Find your every breath every day here in desperation Two days there and tell but you go as overtime and bonus opportunity 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 for every bumpy on this job you pay their fashion blood let's go boys go.

That's how you're every breath and every day you're in this place you're two days near a death but you go boys go.

That's how you're every crap and every day you're in this place you're two days give it but you go but she the captain stable oh, what should we do?

What should we do?

What should we do?

And now they're looking out for better weather the spare I was born Heave away, haul away South Australia round Cape Horn South Australia Haul away Heave away, haul away all the way and hear me sing with bounce out Australia as I went out one hole Heave away all the way There I met Miss Nancy Blair we bound for South Australia Napoleon of the west say single along the plains of Mexico oh, we were up and away will go away San lost in the Irish seas Name felting will bend the Cree 14 ships have sailed the sea proudly daring our land's name but there's one that will never again o Alan B Co.

At 1am in Ramsey Bay the captain Tyr was heard to say Our contract says we'll deliver this message in this rough weather we must not fail.

With A crew of 21 Man's Men passengers and their farewell to Moaner's I'll farewell this little ship is bound for Helen from the Island Company.

Hello.

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

So it's the Shanti Festival Ale and Shanti Festival at 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 favorite band so far?

Oh, obviously favorite is the Bristol Santi Crew.

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.

Been 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 make it.

So they're coming down tomorrow.

So it's really massive in terms of support, sports and stuff.

So.

Yeah.

Are you going to any other, like shanty festivals?

So I heard that there's one down in Port Said 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.

You went.

Did you.

I went a couple of.

Couple of.

We went to Buxom 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.

It's like a week off and the Bristol Shanty Crew, we got them in and I get.

Thanks for talking to me today and 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 me to found the fake star Some of the boys to have a time but just before a sailor took the gang away from the pier I saw some pearl Homie Wife warm born as a volunteer oh me oh me oh my oh my all my cry oh me oh my I think I thought we died oh me oh my I heard me all my stake I wish I'd never taken this extra around the bay we had full 300 souls aboard it was a splendid sight all dressed up in our finery to make our spirits bright May wife 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 me all my cry oh me oh my I think I'm gonna die oh me oh my I heard me all say I wish I never taken this exchange away up and down blowing my back into old whistles down Give me some time to blow my mind down and I was a hoping and all the wind straight 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 court wind the flowers they herald of sailor's death A part of champions will be land so don't even think about whistling on board oh wearing your hands don't step on the deck with your ne or say goodbye when you leave the ocean is a lonely place where the storms are many at the shelter scales down one side of the ocean Sailing down below Great fall over troubled waters and restless skies Sea and morning all rise at night down along the southern Ocean Sail down below Cape Horn Won't you ride the wind and go White sea bird Ride the wind and go Molly Mo down upon the southern ocean Sailing down below Cape Horn Go Molly Mole glides on his great white rains the Lord one of them serves song he sings down upon the southern ocean Sailing down below Cape Horn he's got no compass and he's got no gear Nobody knows how the moly mor is down upon the southern ocean Sailing down below Cape Coral Won't you ride the wind and go White seafood Ride the wind and go on and all alongside the ocean sailing down below King Sally is a girl that lives in our alley way hey bully the alley Sally is a girl from Shinbow Alley Bully on the shinbow now so help me Bob I'm bully the alleyway hey hey bully in the alley Help me all bit Bully in the alley Bully on the ship Mo Now Sally is a girl that I love dearly way hey bully in the alley Sally is a Girl that by Spice nearly Bully on the sho now so help me Paul I'm bullying me out way alley Help me Bo I'm bully the alley Bully on the ship all out 7 long years I call it Sally way Hey bully in the alley all she did was dilly and all Bully on the shimbo now so help me rob I'm bullying the alleyway hey bully in the alley Help me all I bully in the alley alley Bully up the silent Gonna be the savior Help me ball and bully in the alley way hey bully in the alley Help me Bob I bully in the alley Bully on the ship all night year of Lord 1860 we set sail from the sweetly culver cover we were sailing away we had a carn over explore the grass City hall in New York was learning the craft she was ring for now I know how the wind can go she can stand several blasts she had 27 knots they called her the Irish we had 1 million bags of the bustle eagle rags we had single million barrels of stones we have 3 million bales of Onan eagle's tails with 4 million barrels of bones we have 5 million dogs with gold in Bristol and I never fail on the bird no more and it's no they never so they never I went into an else I used to frequent and I told the landlady my money was spent I asked her for credit she answered me nay.

Cause she's the custom club yours I could get holy we oh 900 souls on a mo sm may while we rolling down breath from the coast Drinking beer when all seems bridle Hands to your host as the date is ho Inside we survive the mice are over insecting Christmas Grand Christmas has got a together way.

All the way all the way Joe all the way all the way all the way together away.

All the way all the way Joe all the way Jo all the way along the way.

All the way.

All the way.

All the way.

All the way.

You cannot even stand up straight with the package.

Things are rolling away all the way all the way all the way Go all the way all the way all the way together.

All the way all the way all the way together.

The chorus out, please shout it back at him.

It's very easy.

Goes Rolling down through Bristol sound.

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 to the hatchets in the crown Then in the pub we'll gather round Our voice is loud and true so gatherwise pull up a chair 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 man's a dreadnought of the longest jaunt with the port of Bristol shanty crew sing the greatest songs Singing songs of the ocean Singing songs of the sea so we'll drink up these cider boy tonight will Mary be We're rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the pub Rolling down through Bristol town Rolling down to the park oh Mary Jana nahi oh is the king of bosun is the king of boson's now we are somebody o Will roll it all chariot along Will roll it all chariot along and we'll all hang on behind all un spelling jail wouldn't do us any harm oh a long spelling jail would do us any harm no one long standing jail wouldn't do us any har Ahoy there matey.

Ahoy there.

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

Yes, Lynn and I live afloat and have done for most of the past 1010 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.

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 town'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, 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 7th 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 companies.

Never mind.

You can check out the full itinerary on my website at www.

Tom Lewis.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.

One 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 shipping office I went, went, went Patty lay back padding my back taking the slack taking the slack Take a turn around and Captain Evapor Bagship station boys behind me, behind me Prepare them at the rise of around the horn.

That day there was a great demand for sailors.

Sailors for the colonies, for Frisco and for France.

So I shipped aboard a liney bar the Hotspur.

The Hotspur.

And got paralytic drunk on my advance she runs drink with drinking from the for seclusion two for me and once more you can do with those happy boys when it chills coming down Hill street still even though I'm leaving Pill pill I love me still when the very boat starts he when the rain falls under roll Skippers in the wardrobe drinking gin hi H But I ain't going hi O J I think it's real.

This cuts again.

Chicken on a rock Chicken on a rock on a Monday morning oh, what a terrible sight to see Chicken on a rock chicken and now I'm singing with a seven way and I should be sleeping in a feather bed Heigh ho Chicken on a rock Chicken on a rock on a Monday morning oh, what a terrible sight is to ruin.

Anyone's heard their podcast.

So I wrote this song.

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

It's on the album that just came out.

Pretend it's new, right?

It is.

And somehow Justin from the Bristol.

I don't know his bloody stage name, but Justin had this song.

What's it called?

Augie?

Like a pasty?

Yes.

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

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 want a musical with first ship.

Oh, my God.

This is what the melody is meant to go like.

Crystal fashion boys along the harbor side from even those to wonder who even own the line Secure the barrel down below my lasher this vessel she is turned on my Egypt Shape of Asha From a home in Brazil we set out from the cave A ship is full of spices but we thought I'd medicate sugar in the hope of the Oakhurst made up the crow it sails on crown and cast and rays itself to sea We o ship shake we're on the road to nowhere let's find out where it goes it might be a ladder to this fast who knows?

I bought you a you jokers and rose Laying your furrow in the field when they saw lolly rock with jolly jolly roll it's all warm in here and tobacco our 10 Tommy tail not molasses drinking trail Far across the western ocean Is wander aware there are people Big WW I stole him for their and it's all for me Wrong it's only for me wrong it's all for me Here at the battle for a single tommy tail on the massive rinky J All across the the western ocean I was wander oh, we all got drunk in Dublin city Fall down Big we all got drunk and more's the pity Fall down Radio Shay Hey.

Fall down Fall down Fall down, Billy we're out of the way for a merry day Fall down, Billy o' Shea oh, we lay down drunk on Sir Rogerson's key Fall down the gilly and when 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 America all down Video Shay we are no sailors, Captain dear All down beginning got the beast incline to reap Foster Fall down Radio Shay Hey.

Fall down Fall down Fall down again we're packing the way for America Fall down Video shade oh, they sent him up to the top of the Oscar Fall down When he hit the deck he hits it hard Fall down, Billy o' Shake hey.

Fall down Fall down Fall down we're bound to wait for Mary K.

Fall down to your shade they wrapped him up in a canvas tail Fall down, Billy Slow him gently over the rail Fall down Bill Shake hey.

Fall down fall down Fall down, Billy we're on the way for America Pull out New York over the sign and down he goes Farewell Giddy to Baby Jones with a stitch through his nose Farewell Giddy o' Shea Farewell, Farewell Farewell Nippily we've found a way for America for who am I talking to right now?

Well, you're talking to Steve Collings and Catherine Collings.

And we are Cask.

That's C A S K.

Stands for Collings.

A Cappella Shanty Crew.

So how do 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, but the problem was dressing as pirates.

My skirts were getting caught in the wheels of my wheelchair and dad is an offhand car.

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 out.

I used to love swimming before her diagnosis and then found 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 favourite bits are when we do a song and we get it absolutely right and the harmonies are just of their signature.

Yes.

And it's when you get those.

Those moments and you just sort of go, yes.

Yeah.

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

For me, I came across sea shanties back in 1964.

Okay.

Quite a while when I started junior school, school or primary school.

And I started playing the recorder.

And my mother had a book called Songs that Will Live Forever, which was published by the Daily Express, which we still have.

Okay.

It's 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 swimming institute said, oh, can you come and sing some shanties?

So I revisited them, looked them up, learnt a lot of them, and then a friend of mine said, oh, we think we're starting up a shanti crew, which is called the Back Beach Ball.

Ah, 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 that we were doing.

Latched onto them, loved them.

The 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.

Which one was it?

Sugar in the Hot.

Oh, I love that one.

Is it Sugar in the.

Yes, it is that one.

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

Yes, it was arrangement by the group Ren Music.

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.

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.

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.

Walk him along.

Jump.

Carry him along to be way hey.

Carry into his burial and see Glory hallelujah that's enough for me we set sail on the evening tide it was early on a Saturday night all went well to the tilly light and then by God I go.

The ship was hit by a big bean sea Christ, I thawed it all up for me she rolled and she lolled like an old tin drum Hell, I thought the time hath won Sail from Auckland to the bluff A thousand miles and that's enough A thousand miles on the heaving sea Glory hallelujah that's enough for me Short and sail the skipper Short and sail all you buggers will all die get aloft, get aloft get up the mast get aloft, get aloft get up the.

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 and was sick o the rail One time I will take the northwest passage to find the hand of Franklin Reaching for the sea Tracing one more line through us to the sea oh, for just one time I will take a fortress passage to find the hand of frightening Reaching for the per se Facing one whole of her life down Then we will have one more round Just like thunder all I know Raise your pleasure showing your love most Then we will have one more round welcome to our ladies so fair and so fine all night long, ladies, all night long they spend our money and drinks all our wine all night long, ladies all night long Raise me soon we will drink it all down Drink to the poor pleasure we all are most Then we will have one more round and down it's not very short and it's not very long Give me some time to blow that down.

Methinks I see a host of crabs Spreading their cells a leaf as down the humber they too fly O back for the northern sea Methinks I see on each small craft and through it are 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 Grimsey town From Yarmouth down to sk many hundreds Our herring craft are trawlers Our fishing smash as well they long to fight that eternal night and battle with with 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 long 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 Yahweh's down 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 look at each other a Bit like from Kent.

We've made it.

Yes.

Oh, one of.

One of mine was we did a gig in a pub in Somerton 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.

I wasn't there, but it's 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 are 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 could.

I can't remember which one it was.

One of our first two songs was Bully in the Alley and 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.

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?

But it was sort of like we already had.

Knew who it would be and everything like that.

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

Black Flag.

I love.

I.

I do like Assassin's Creed.

Exactly, exactly.

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 is almost.

Yeah, it's 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 it.

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 two 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?

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 learning.

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

Watch this space.

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

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.

Yeah.

For the rest of our lives.

When I die, you can 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.

We're bound at Parakeo when it comes down to the chorus Find a key or harmony and join us in us loi in the morning counter Memory silver for me all and free for this is my God and this is and no one will ever save me from this land until the lock on Call me to sit at his hand for this is my heaven and I'm not alone oh, 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 Clarence asked what's been the best moment of being a part of the Beach Boys?

Ah, 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 them.

Yeah.

And so far, just over 10,000.

Just over 10,000.

£10,000 last year goes there.

Oh, yeah.

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 it started with them and then we mutinied and we became the Western Mutiny.

Yeah.

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

Yeah.

So cool.

Because we're all washed up.

Yeah.

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

Keep living and just 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.

Keep.

Keep duck it.

Ducking and hoping that.

That no one actually hits us.

Yeah, yeah.

Moving target.

Yes.

So you say you raise money.

Have you.

Do you raise the 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.

We occasionally raise money for the RNLI and other one.

And also we.

We're with.

Our main charity is the Raxall Children's Hospice and for other smaller children's charities.

So hopefully we.

We're going to be making donations.

Yes, we.

We.

We're going to start doing.

Doing stuff for smaller charities as well.

Charities that perhaps don't get a lot that we.

We've got to.

We've got to investigate.

Yeah.

So thank.

So how.

So you started with Steep Palmers.

Yeah.

And how.

How did all the members come in?

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 now band.

So it's well masculine only at the moment.

Oh, yeah.

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

We have some short wax, but they're partners and wives.

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, obviously.

No, I should turn the microphone off on the camera.

Yeah, we can do.

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

Yeah, I can keep rhythm.

We saw that today.

Yeah.

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.

Well, if you'd have said that earlier, we would have had you singing with us.

Know you were into singing as well, so.

Definitely.

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 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 forward/newsletter.

A little pop up will come up and it'll ask you to enter in your email address and it's a really, 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 Air Enchanty 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 like 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 Shanty 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're in the hall below for Sail and the Crow.

It's set us unfolding cats and rays?

It's sad to see we go Fashion you talk about a sailing ship that strengths and all Applause?

Only the greatest myself can navigate the score?

So steady on the Pengy boys?

Keel over on your side?

Our shipment is secure?

Relapse along the morning tide?

Shape and whistle Fashion boys on our side?

Baltimore's fair harbor?

The trade men blow us north?

We battle with the gale of 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 holds on the ground to know that he even holy even Holly boys Hallway will happy.