For those unfamiliar with The Longest Johns, they are a 5-piece acapella folk and sea shanty band from Bristol who take their inspiration from the likes of Stan Rogers, Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends, The Young’Uns, Kimber’s Men, The Dreadnoughts, Cyril Tawney, Stan Hugill, The Dubliners, A L Lloyd, Coope, Boyes & Simpson.
One thing that sets them apart from any other shanty group is their clever use of social media – A look through their Facebook and Twitter numbers show a good following – until you hit their YouTube channel where their number of followers rockets to an extraordinary 40K.
A lot of those numbers are attracted by their regular live streaming shanty sessions where they gather together on a sofa with beer in hand ready to entertain their followers. Viewers can tip them and make requests from a song-list and they are often joined by a special guest which have included the likes of Sam Brookes who can’t resist a good shanty (having performed in the shanty group the Ballina Whalers) and recent BBC Folk Award nominees for ‘Best Traditional Track’ Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith.
During a recent live stream, they announced they would be making more videos – one each week! Watch their new music video for Rufford Park Poachers (our Song of the Day) – a song about the poachers who made a stand against the unfair monopolising of game-hunting rights by wealthy landowners in 1851. They were attacked by gamekeepers and one poacher later died from his injuries.
The Longest Johns are
Anna Cornish
Dave Robinson
Jonathan Darley
Andy Yates
Robbie Sattin
Get to know them more by subscribing to their YouTube Channel here.
and via:
https://www.thelongestjohns.com/