About

About Us

 

Based in the Burnhams, birth place of England’s greatest seaman, Lord Horatio Nelson, Nelson’s Shantymen are a diverse group of enthusiasts, driven in equal measure by a love of singing and a desire to keep the tradition of the authentic sea-shanty alive. True to the original spirit of the shanty, a major emphasis is placed on the voice and while instrumental accompaniment, in the form of banjo, bodhran, guitar and harmonica, is an integral part of performance, this is always secondary to the natural sound of men singing to ease the burden of their work at sea..

 

 

Since their formation in March 2010, Nelson’s Shantymen have performed to acclaim in a wide range of venues throughout Norfolk, appearing at a number of festivals including the prestigious international Harwich Sea Shanty Festival of 2013. The group sang at the launch of the new Hunstanton lifeboat 'Spirit of West Norfolk' in 2011, performed on the main deck of SS Gotheborg as part of the Mayor's Reception to close 2015's Maritime Festival in Great Yarmouth.

 

 

Nelson’s Shantymen is a non-profit-making group which aims to raise money for charitable causes. To date they have raised over £55,500 for a range of charities including RNLI, Help for Heroes, Children in Need, Comic Relief, Wells Community Hospital, Tapping House, Campaign Care 94, Nelson’s Journey, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, the Jubilee Sailing Trust, The Bridge for Heroes, Hillside Animal Sanctuary, Kings Lynn Hospital’s League of Friends, East Anglian Children's Hospice, The Big C, East Anglian Air Ambulance and QEH King's Lynn Critical Care Unit.

 

 

In addition to their large store of traditional shanties, the group’s repertoire includes a number of songs which celebrate the achievements of Lord Nelson, together with a range of lyrics recording the hardships of the fisherman’s way of life.

 

 

In 2012, the group released their first CD, ‘Singing for Victory’ , their second CD followed in 2014, three years later they recorded "England Expects", in 2020 the year of their 10th Anniversary they recorded "Land and Sea" and in 2023 they recorded their most recent album "Norfolk TIdes".


The group can currently be heard in rehearsal most Monday evenings at The Jolly Sailors, Brancaster Staithe, between 7.00pm and 9.00pm.