Nobby and The Rev

Hi, this is Doc and you're listening.

To Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

Boys along the hardest side from even large to wonderful even all the line Secure the barrels down below Bind and tie and jump this vessel she sets a mind ship shaped from Bristol Fashion.

Ahoy their shipmates.

Hello and welcome to Shipshape and Bristol Fashion, a podcast dedicated to the work of the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew.

It's great to have you on board and I hope you've been keeping well on this episode.

We are going to pop down to the crew room and talk to Nobby and the Rev and catch up with what they've been up to and what it means to be part of this crew.

But first we're going to pop over to the signaller and get all the news of the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew.

As you know all too well, the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew love doing events.

It's a great way of flying the flag of shanty, but more importantly, a great way to have fun.

On Saturday 6th April, from 7:00 till 10:00, we have an opportunity for you to come along to to Shanties In Style.

The Port of Bristol Shanty Crew invite you to come along to the Bishop's palace in Wells for an evening of sea shanty fun with fish pie ale against a beautiful historic backdrop.

Don't miss out.

You can buy a ticket now on our website, so pop over to popshantycrew.co.uk.

we also have another fantastic opportunity and please do save the date.

On the 11th and 12th of May, we invite you to a real ale and sea shanty festival.

It's going to be held in Bristol at Freemasons Hall, Park Street, Bristol.

And this event is open to anyone who would like to come along to sample some fantastic real ale and of course sing along with some Kshanti.

Please do pop over to our website where you'll get to learn a little bit more about ticket sales and how to engage.

Since our last podcast, the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew have been busy.

They've just been to the Old Bank Hotel in chippon sobri on the 5th of March where they were taking part in a Trelawney Shout, a celebration of St.

Pyrran's Day, who of course is the patron saint of Cornwall and they were with other shanty crews having a good old sing song and a jolly good time.

It's also worth recognizing we should all sing Happy Birthday to our very own Chuffa who Of course, is celebrating his birthday and so a big happy birthday, chuffer, and I hope you really did have a wonderful day.

Of course, there's plenty of opportunity to catch up with what's going on with the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew after on our Facebook page.

So please do search us Port of Bristol Shanty Crew, and you get to see some of the live activities that these guys are up to.

In fact, recently they've just celebrated their belated Christmas dinner.

They gather together to enjoy the fact that they've managed to raise 27,000 pounds towards the Teenage Cancer Trust over the last 19 months.

What a phenomenal achievement.

And I bet that Christmas party, somewhat belated, was clearly enjoyed by all.

There's been many shipmates that are fans out there.

We really do appreciate everything you do for us.

They've plenty of fans that have had their birthdays.

So a huge happy birthday to you all.

And of course, since we last met on the last podcast, we can celebrate the fact that we had St.

David's Day.

So happy St.

David's Day to Skipper and to all our friends that live across the water over in Wales.

From Welsh Backie I said goodbye to sweetheart's wives and friends and down the marsh we sailed away to wind through Avon's bends Don't tie me to the bollard, mate don't lash me to the master I'm bound the way for Clodagh shore this voyage will be my last.

So next up, we're going to pop down to the crew room for a little glass of red wine and listen to Nobby and the Rev to hear about their story and the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew.

Hi, Justine, Justin, my old darling.

Hello, gentlemen.

How the devil are you?

Very, very well, very well.

Good.

That is great to hear.

So first up, let's get yourself introducing yourself to the listeners.

Nobby.

Ian.

The Nobby die.

Yeah, the Rev Hawkins.

And we've been singing together since about 1983.

Yeah, yeah.

983.

Yeah.

And I first met him when I was teaching it.

Lock lease in the first week I heard this dulcet tones coming up the corridor.

Science teacher.

And I thought, that sounds good.

So I nipped out in a corridor.

Corridor, see it now coming out for.

The door and we started singing together.

Yeah.

Rosabella.

Yeah, Whatever it might have been.

Yeah, I think it was Rosabella.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And the rest is history.

Morning in the month of May One.

More day Morning in the month of May I thought I heard the old man say the Rosabella will sell Today.

No, no, it's all right.

It's all right.

Of course.

No problem at all.

So, Nobby, what I'd like you do is just to let us know your history.

How did you get yourself into Shishanti?

It started off way back in about nine, the late 60s.

Okay.

At the time I was working at the Bristol Omnibus Company as a coach painter.

Okay.

And the sign writer played a guitar.

And I fancied doing a bit of guitar stuff and only things I know are Se Shan is.

And I got a guitar but I couldn't play it.

And we went to the Lamb Iron Acton Little Folk Club and stood up to do a Malvinia Records.

What have they Done to the Rain?

And it was a total mess up.

Oh, no.

So I abandoned the guitar and I started singing sh.

With an old mate of mine called John Brumad.

Brumad.

What a guy.

And yeah, that's how we started off.

Wasn't there John Broomhead?

He was great guy, the late John Brumad, sadly.

He was such a character.

Oh, yeah.

And then we did a bit and then I got.

I was teaching.

Then it lock leaves and as.

As the Rev said, you know, I was walking down a corridor one day singing the Rosabella and.

Believe it, couldn't believe it.

Justin.

Yes.

In front of a class.

I was a science teacher.

I had me bench, you know, with me bunch and goodness knows what.

Yeah.

And all the kids there.

And I heard these dulcet tones and I thought, there's a singer.

I think that's a good tuna.

I soon picked up the chorus and I went up, opened the door, left all the kids there and started joining in the chorus.

Amazing.

And Nobby said, here, who are you?

Then I said, I'm Steve Hawkins.

I've just started last week.

And he said, right, you're in the group.

And we joined.

I joined up with the Harry Brown.

Harry Brown Shackley Men of Bristol.

Yeah.

Wow.

And that was back in 1985 when you.

Yeah, back in the day.

Back in the day.

And then.

Yeah.

Excellent.

And so you.

You became a group.

You became a band.

It was a group of others together.

And.

And.

And of course the rest, I guess, is history.

But right now you've clearly got both amazing voices.

You're very distinctively Bristolian.

And now you're part of this wonderful Bristol Gas Heads.

Gas Heads.

Both of us.

Yeah.

Gas.

The gas.

Irene, Good night, Irene.

Irene, good night.

Good night, Irene.

Good night, Irene.

I'll see you in my dreams.

In fact, as you know, Justin.

Yeah.

I'm a priest in the Church of England.

Yeah.

I was once chaplain to Bristol Rovers.

Wow.

To say it's helped my preaching no end, has it?

As it gave me.

Yeah.

It gave me an insight into pain and misery otherwise I would never.

I've gathered so well done Rovers at the gas, mate.

Yeah, go down.

Used to take me down.

I did.

Sit me up in the blinking direction.

Yes, I did.

Yeah.

And the commissioner would say.

All right Rev, have you got a prayer for us today?

Well, it never worked out, did it?

The problem is Justin, is that while I was traveling I'll travel for about four or five years until I moved away from the area.

And during that time they sort of plummeted, you know, through the divisions.

Through the league.

Yeah, through league one, into league two.

And I tried everything, Justin, go on the center line.

Made no difference.

And so I had to move away and I nominated someone else to be chaplain.

Great guy called Dave Jewellery.

Okay.

And blow me, blow me.

He got appointed and the next week they started winning, started winning and they started going up the league and they were promoted.

Yeah.

Wow.

Where was God in all that, Justin?

I do not know but there's probably a thing.

There's a paper in that somewhere.

Oh my goodness.

Must be.

So the Port of Bristol shanty crew it's just grown from popularity.

Everyone loves a good old fashioned she shanty and of course you now with.

With other like minded souls sing regularly.

I bet you guys are really proud of what it's done and where it is now.

Yeah, very much so.

And it all sparked off one day when was going down to the camp of Bin and putting away the theatrical set, all the props, props and Arthur Grannon who's one of our singers said oh you know one of those two lads sing over there.

So I went back into the lodge room, you know, which was empty.

I said oh I.

I hear you sing.

No, no, no, no, I hear you sing.

That's it, you're in the group.

And told the Rev about it and that was it.

Yeah, we nobody know how to meet in here in a sense.

We had a meeting, we had a few points around the table.

That's the best kind of meeting.

And we said, you know, we ought to form a new shanty group.

Yeah, Arthur Grannon and I wrote, I emailed people like John Hayes and Mike Whitworth and Mike Page and Andy Moore and loads of others.

Yeah, good old Bill.

And I sent him an email saying I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse.

That was what I Said, yeah, yeah.

To offer you the opportunity to join what will become the finest shanty group in the southwest of England, if not England itself.

That's right.

And they couldn't refuse England St George.

Yeah, they didn't.

They didn't refuse.

And so we all got together and they.

They hadn't sung shanties at all.

One of them had a bloke called Skipper.

Okay, yeah.

Terry Gunnery, the next Welsh minor.

Yeah.

It's in his jeans.

It's in his jeans.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So we all got together and at first it was slow going.

They had to learn how to sing, learn the choruses and do you know what?

The learning curve was so steep.

And they were absolutely brilliant.

And before too long we were singing together, they'd learned songs, you know, the pressure was off me and Nobby knew a few, did.

He did.

Mike knew a few.

So he went from there and it.

To be honest, actually.

What a guy.

He loves doing his.

He likes wearing hats.

Does, actually.

Oh, he does.

He's a big hat wearer.

He's big hat wearer.

And Shuffer wears hats as well.

Oh, yes.

Andy Moore, he's a big hat wearer.

Yeah.

I don't know how many acts he's gone.

Yeah, loads of them.

Loads of arts he has.

And.

And you don't just sing old school Shanti.

You, you obviously try and find even modern tunes or even write your own, I hear.

Yeah.

Oh, can I just introduce this young man here?

This is, as you know, not only was he one of the best teachers, one of the best I've ever worked with, but he is an artist.

But I'll tell you a little story, Justin.

When he worked on the buses, all right, down at Lawrence Hill.

Was it Lawrence Hill?

And he had to spray all the buses green?

No, no.

Painted with a paintbrush.

Yes, painted with a paintbrush.

They didn't have that modern technology back then.

Spray them.

They do now.

He got into the habit of draw of painting sea scenes, ships, suns of the ocean, and when the foreman came round, he had to paint them all out.

Yeah, yeah.

His mate said to him, look, you're pretty good at this.

Yeah, you want to go to college.

And he did.

He went to teacher training college and he became an art teacher.

One of the best I've ever known.

Wow.

Got a degree.

Left school with nothing and now.

And now you've got everything.

So, you know, it's amazing.

He was amazing, brilliant guy.

But anyway, I was going to say, yeah, not only the art, he.

He is a genius.

All Right.

This man is a veritable genius because he is a composer, a writer of contemporary songs of the sea.

Wow.

Particularly Bristol.

Yeah.

Bristol songs like Welsh Back Key.

Yeah.

The Corn Crate.

Corn Crate, Juno.

Yeah.

Written songs that are sung by other shanti groups all over.

I'm not exaggerating.

All over the world.

Yeah.

Wow.

He is a prince among men.

A genius.

A convertible genius of a composer.

I stand in awe of this man.

And such an honor to have him on board.

Hey.

It's so fantastic.

Lovely.

Well, you know, one of the biggest motivators I can see is you guys getting together, having a bit of a laugh, a sing song.

It, obviously it helps you with your.

With your heart and your health and just being together, which is great.

But we love, love it.

There's clearly another good reason because you, you give up your time freely to raise money for an important charity.

Tell us all about this.

So what.

Why, out of all the charities in the world, have we gone for Teenage Cancer Trust, which obviously is an amazing charity.

Tell us a bit more about that.

Well, we.

We started off to raise a thousand pounds.

Okay.

19 months ago.

19 months ago.

And now we've raised 27, 000 pounds.

Wow.

That is phenomenal, isn't it?

It is, yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, that's all due to the fact that we don't take any money for ourselves.

Every.

Every fee that we get for singing, which sometimes can go as high as 5, 10 pounds, we don't charge anything and we put it straight into the kitty, give it to Teenage Cancer Trust and all the collections.

We've got a wonderful woman called Teresa, Ian's wife, who goes around with a bucket and threatens people, you know, physical.

Damage, usually when they're opening their wallet.

Yeah, it is.

But the other thing is, you need to know, Justin, is the reason behind it is because my wife Caroline and myself, yeah, our friend Louise and.

And Mike Pages and Lynn's friend, very sadly, her son Harry.

Harry was diagnosed with terminal, uh, brain cancer.

Okay.

And it was.

And it was the support the Teenage Cancer Trust gave not only to Harry, but to the family.

It motivated us.

It was a personal connection that this poor lad.

And he's a hell of a good lad.

He's so fantastic.

He's a star.

It actually moved us.

Yeah, No, I can imagine.

That's the charity we're going to stand for.

Yeah.

And quite rightly so.

I think it's an amazing charity.

They do such amazing work, but they can't do that without finance.

And it's great that that the Port of Shanty Crew is.

Is.

Is financing them, which, you know, obviously a thousand pounds is a lot of money to even think about raising to start off with, when we live in a world where you struggle to either heat your home or eat.

And now over 25, 29, 000, it was unbelievable about money.

Yeah, well, dear old Harry, he was 19 when he got this news.

I don't think people expected him to get to his next Christmas, you know.

Yeah, he's 21 now.

Wow.

Okay.

Hey, it's a 21 today actually.

Is it?

Harry, birthday.

Happy birthday, Harry.

Happy birthday, Harry.

He's getting on, you know.

Good thing is you and Caroline are going up to the Royal Albert Hall.

Yes, we are.

To support the county group at the Teenage Cancer Trust.

What is it?

Convention?

Well, it's a series of concerts that they do every year and they have like a reception for people beforehand and we got two tickets for the Shanty crew to go up to this.

I mean, Roger Daltrey of the who, one of my favorite groups, Very much involved, has been for years.

And so they invited.

They only had two tickets because they're like gold dust, you know, because we've raised all this amount of money.

Everyone who's been invited are fundraisers and.

Yeah.

Got two tickets.

And the group, the shanty group, my dear, dear friends wanted Caroline and myself.

Yeah.

Because of our connection with Harry.

Yeah.

Go up and represent the group and we're going to go up, aren't we?

Yeah, it's gonna be good.

Well, you're gonna have to record some audio from what you hear and.

Yeah.

For the podcast.

I think people are going to want to hear your story and your journey.

I think it'll be good.

It'll be good.

Wow.

Well, fantastic, chaps.

This has been such a great time to talk to you and.

And like I said before, you must be so proud of the Achie way that the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew has grown from strength to strength.

What next?

Taking over the world of shanty.

Cruz around.

Go on, mate.

Wants to go to Glastonbury.

Glastonbury.

Okay, we're getting close.

We're getting close.

Laughing well, show on the pil stage.

Yeah.

And Michael Eis Goer, I have been an avid Glastonbury attendee, but just as a punter for a number of years.

Nice.

And my ambition because we.

I saw the Fisherman's Friends there some years ago with my son Neil.

Okay.

See me said, they're not as good as you, dad, are they?

I Couldn't possibly comment.

Yeah.

So we're praying and hoping that one day Michael Leavis Willing or Emily Evis will invite us to perform.

Not necessarily on the Pyramid.

Oh, no.

Although I would say no Headlining.

Headlining.

Maybe, you know, maybe one of the smaller stages, the John Peel or the.

The park stage or something.

Avalon.

But maybe a very, very, very small stage somewhere miles away from the Pyramid.

But please, Michael Leavis, please.

Yeah.

Well, listeners of this podcast, I think you need to share this podcast and tag anyone that's connected with the management of Glastonbury and get you guys on it.

Make an old man very happy.

Very happy.

I'm only just the senior member.

Are you?

Only just.

Only just.

But you have years of experience.

He remembers right back.

He was at the B.

He was at Battle of Trafalgar.

Yeah, Trafalgar.

He was there.

You.

Fondest memory.

Oh, fondest memory.

Yeah.

One of our memories when.

When the Rev and I sang down at Sidmouth Folk Festival.

Ah.

And we thought we'd put the hat on the floor.

The hat on the floor.

Singing away.

We got 20p.

20P.

The bloke that gave it to us was drunk.

Oh.

And he sort of walked past us, stopped, and then went all back again and looked at us and put 20p in our heart.

But we did sing, Nobby and I, and we went over with all our friends to Dublin.

Temple Bar.

Not Nobby and I sang in Temple Bar.

And we raised quite a bit of money there and we thought we'd sing.

A few songs and then all of a sudden there's some.

Something going on and it was people collecting for a charity.

We raised all this money in our heart and gave it to them.

Oh, wow.

I don't know what they were.

I can't remember.

Is it a nun?

Yeah.

We gave it to another.

Great.

Because they're always short.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Even everywhere.

Anywhere or anywhere, anytime.

Holland was a good one.

Was interesting.

Yeah.

Singing the Brown Bird.

Oh, yeah.

Rotterdam.

Rotterdam.

It was.

Well, you.

You know what?

This is taking you literally everywhere, isn't it?

Which is fantastic.

Flying the flag for Bristol and flying the flag for.

For the charity as well.

It's so good.

We've been as far north as Gloucester.

Wow.

A little bit further.

We had a Hole, didn't we?

We did go to Hole, but when we go to Gloucester or Cheltenham, we always pack extra woolies, don't we?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's very cold up north.

See where we are.

Be careful.

And the air is thinner.

So you've Got to be careful.

Oh, you could get a chill on your chest, couldn't you?

Yeah, that wouldn't be good.

You have to rub some Vick on.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Take a pot of it.

Yeah.

And a pack of Fisherman's Friends.

Well, if you'd enjoyed listening to us, listeners, we are the Port of Bristol Shanty Crew.

If you haven't enjoyed it, we are the Fisherman's Friends.

Love it.

Love it.

Well, gentlemen, thank you so much for your time.

This won't be the last time you.

This won't be the last time you'll be on the podcast because I'll be hopefully joining you.

And you've done a few.

A few events that you're doing in the future.

I've not been known to be a singer, but I'm certainly someone who can record well.

Well, the others said they could, and.

They were right on the whole.

Yeah.

No, they weren't.

They were great.

They were great.

Nice.

There's always a place for you.

Yeah, that's right.

Always.

Very kind.

Thank you.

For us on these podcasts, whatever a podcast is.

I know.

It's all a bit modern, isn't it?

It's all a bit modern.

We want to spread.

Sean is as far as we possibly can.

Yeah.

Do you know we did a.

A gig at an alternative music venue in Bristol called Doo's.

Yeah.

And it was very alternative because when we went there, I couldn't understand any of the music they were playing at all.

So we got up.

We got up on the stage and I said, ladies and gentlemen, we are the alternative to the alternative.

And we started singing.

They went bonkers.

They were.

They were going, one more song.

Yeah, one more song.

One more song.

And we were basically.

I was gonna go crowd surfing.

Justin, Honestly, don't even.

Out there.

I didn't.

But thank goodness for them.

But imagine that shows us that these were people, most of them under the age of 18.

Yeah.

They loved it.

Shani is all ages.

Yeah.

International.

Yeah.

It's good, isn't it?

It's good.

There's been a few youngsters on Tick Tock doing Shantia, which has kind of made it a popular thing, and now they're.

They're hungry for more.

And you guys are just gonna feed them, which is great.

Wow.

We love them and they love us at the moment.

Well, gentlemen, thank you for your time this evening.

It's been great talking to you, and I look forward to.

Yeah.

Catching up with you again sometime soon.

So that is it.

Another episode of Shipshape and Bristol Fashion.

We hope you've enjoyed it and if you would be so kind to share it with others, it would be really much appreciated.

Like I said, if you want to hear about more about what the Port of Bristol Shanty crew are up to, then please do head over to our website, pobshantycrew.co.uk or find us on Facebook.

So fair winds and following seas and we'll see you next time.

Ship shape and Bristol fashion boys along the harbor side from even gorge to underfall we'll even hold the line, secure the barrels down below, wind them, tie and lash them this vessel she is certified Ship shape and Bristol fashion so hollow away me ly boys haul away, you're free Haul away me ly boys and save a drink for me Haul away me l boys Haul away you're free Haul away me l boys and save a drink for me.