Harwich Shanty Festival 2010 - Artists

New Scorpion Band

We have a special concert on Friday 8th from acknowledged authorities of English Traditional Music. The New Scorpion Band will present a show entitled "Bold Nelson's Praise", an evening of music, song, readings and poetry about events surrounding our great national hero. Nelson of course is known to have visited Harwich during his long career and stayed at the Three Cups with Lady Hamilton.

Kimbers Men

Kimber's Men have been singing together since 2001 and have evolved into a 5 piece harmony group singing traditional and contemporary songs of the sea. They have played at numerous Festivals in Britain and abroad and are universally popular wherever they perform. They first sung in Harwich at the 2006 Festival and we have been asked ever since when we are going to have them back. So here they are for our 5th year - 2010!

Three Sheets to the Wind

Three sheets to the Wind are an occasional trio of veteran U.K. traditional singers comprising Keith Kendrick, Geoff Higginbottom and Derek Gifford. They sing and play authentic traditional sea songs and shanties, acapella or with instrumental accompaniment.

Patrick Denain & Miguel Biard

Patrick and Miguel both hale from High Normandy. A second generation traditional singer, Patrick made his first recording in 1981 and is the leader of "Maree de Paradis", one of the most famous maritimegroups in France. Miguel belongs to a new generation of traditional singers and has established afine reputation in a very short time. They appeared at Harwich Shanty Festival last year and proved such a hit that we had to have them back again. Together they perform shanties and maritime songs from both High and Low Normandy.

Crossjack

We are very pleased to welcome our first German Shanty group to Harwich! Crossjack are six shanty singers who try to recapture the authentic sound of sailors on board ship in the 18th and 19th Century. They are keen to explain the background to all the songs they sing and to maintain different working rhythms for the various types of shanty they sing.

Paul Sirman

Paul has been touring extensively both on the Maritime and Folk Festival scene for many years and is an accomplished singer and guitar player. His relaxed, easy style and competent delivery make him a favourite wherever he appears. We are pleased to welcome him to Harwich in 2010.

Sheringham Shanty Men 

The Sheringham Shantymen were formed in 1988 by a group of fishermen and lifeboat crew in Sheringham. They began life as a regular shanty crew but over the years they have developed into a full entertainment group. The Sheringham Shantymen have around thirty members and regularly turns out twenty to twenty-five for each concert. Music consists of guitars, melodeon, banjo, concertina, bouzouki, mandolin, whistles and bodhran.

Monkeys Fist

These guys are talented and fun! They've performed at many major maritime and folk festivals throughout Britain to the obvious enjoyment of both audience and themselves. Here at Harwich for the second time in  2010.

Hunt The Wren

Another local group, Hunt the Wren have been playing together for some 8 years now, both locally and further afield. For Harwich Shanty Festival they will be playing their "Maritime Set" throughout the town.

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. 

Golden Rivets

A group of friends living in the Harwich area, Golden Rivets are our closest "home grown" guests for the 2009 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. Regulars at Harwich, we are very pleased to welcome them back.

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. 

Shadows in the Shade

Jed Stone and Des Tighe are well known around the folk scene in their Suffolk homeland, but have also travelledextensively to venues around the British Isles and further abroad. They were the founder members of XXLsior, a shanty crew put together to support the sail training trawler Excelsior and have previously sung with a variety of other groups. This is their first visit to Harwich in their present incarnation!