Harwich Shanty Festival 2008 - Artists

Charlotte & Spong

www.musicfinders.co.uk/Sea/sea.htm  This entertaining and professional singing duo are also accomplished concertina and fiddle players. They have performed at Festivals, Museums, Concerts and Pubs, as well as on board ship. Previous appearances include: Tall Ships at Falmouth, Blessing of the Nets at Brighton, on board a Dutch Merchant Marine in Rotterdam Harbour and many other Festivals throughout Britain and Europe.

Buitenboord

www.kunstenvermaak.nl/shantykoor_buitenboord1.htm   The present line up of Buitenboord members have been singing together for about 5 years now and grew out of a much larger Dutch Shanty Choir, most of whom were together for another 10 years before that. They hail from Zwolle on the River Ijessel, near the famous Zeider Zee. Their repertoire includes Dutch, English and French sea songs and shanties, sometimes acappella and sometimes accompanied by accordion, concertina and guitar. Buitenboord have become regular guests at many Festivals and Maritime events throughout the Netherlands. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Buitenboord is Dutch for "outboard"!

Graeme Knights

Graeme’s involvement in folk music goes back over eighteen years and apart from his singing, he has been involved in running several clubs and was Director of the Doncaster Folk Festival for six years.
Although Graeme enjoyed a high profile, singing Shanties and Sea songs with the respected group ‘LANDLOCKED’ for five years, his singing is not limited to just this type of song. His repertoire is wide ranging and he can apply his rich baritone voice to encompass Traditional Love Songs, Mining Songs, Gospel songs, Drinking and Music Hall Songs and some more recently written contemporary songs – many with good enjoyable and singable choruses.

After making regular voyages and now being watch leader on board the 490-ton three-masted Barque STS Lord Nelson, Graeme will be delivering his ‘signature song’ “Don’t Disable Me” with a little extra zest!

As well as frequent appearances at Folk Clubs and Festivals around Britain, Graeme is also a regular guest at Clubs and Festivals in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. As well as tours to The USA and Canada

Capstan Full Strength

Ade had an idea back in 1998:So he says to Chris - he says " Here Chris, what we want is a shanty crew!"Well they talk to Mike and then various other people and, after several months, we ends up with a shanty crew. Next thing is what to do with it. Well it turns out we all sing, so the best thing seems to be to sing. Good job 'cause we like singing - a lot!!Since then shanties have taken us to Poland, Holland and Norway. We have brought out a CD, made a lot of friends and above all had a whale of a time
 

Naze Shanty Crew

Formerly known as the Royal Marine Shanty Crew, after the Pub at which this group was formed, the Naze Shanty Crew have been in existence now for 5 years. Their new name pays homage to the geographical peculiarity from which their home town takes it's name; Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex. Singing mainly accapella, but with occasional guitar, melodeon or concertina, this small band of enthusiastic singers have attended several Festivals and Maritime events both in Britain and overseas. Their proximity to the changing Essex  coastline inspires them and their music.

Stork Ejlaender

Stork Ejlaenders are a Danish Shanty Crew from the Island of Fano in Denmark. The group continues the ancient Danish affinity to the sea and celebrates the old traditions and ways of life on Fano, but mostly they sing entirely for their own pleasure. Over the ten or so years of their existence the group has travelled widely and enjoyed and been appreciated at, many festivals and events.

XXL Shanty Crew 

The crew was formed at the end of 2004 with a nucleus of three (Gerry Chenery, Jed Stone and Des Tighe) and can rise up to eight as friends join in. All had previously sung with other groups at major festivals in UK, Holland, Norway and Poland. The side are Suffolk based and sing popular sea songs and shanties and have been known to burst into other types of folk music. Apart from their voices they have guitar, whistle, melodeon, concertina and harmonica available for whatever the venue requires.After expenses all income is donated to the Excelsior Trust (www.excelsiortrust.co.uk) who adopted us as shanty crew for the last working Lowestoft sailing trawler the Excelsior (LT 472). The Excelsior Trust is a registered charity which offers sail training to people who might never normally be able to afford to sail in a vessel like this and takes part in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships events.

The name Double XL (XXLsior) was voted the name for the crew, so you can see that it nothing to do with the size of the singers or the designer label that is in their clothing. 

SING UP SHANTYMAN

Golden Rivets

A group of friends living in the Harwich area, Golden Rivets are our closest "home grown" guests for the 2007 Shanty Festival. They share a number of interests, sailing and music amongst them. All are keen sailors, regularly sailing the Essex and Suffolk coasts. They have been playing together now for a couple of years, mostly for fun and enjoy a pint or two in their spare time!

Magwitch

Magwitch are two female singers who perform folk songs in the wider sense as well as sea and shanty songs. They have been singing and playing together for a few years now and travelled to several festivals and clubs throughout Britain.

Malcolm Ward

An enthusiastic and accomplished supporter of Sea songs and Shanty Festivals, Malcolm will be singing mostly as a solo performer throughout the weekend, but sometimes teaming up with other guests.

Pete Stockwell

Pete now lives in France, from whence he will be visiting the Festival this year. Previously resident in England, he has for many years been a stalwart singer and performer at many British Festivals, being particularly involved with one of Britain's biggest Folk Festivals - Broadstairs Folk Week.