Last night, Jim Moray was due to be at the Royal Albert Hall for the Sea Shambles, a science, music and comedy show about the past, present and future of our blue planet. Thanks to technology, something which has transformed how we enjoy music during the lockdown, the scheduled event went ahead as a re-jigged online as part of the Royal Albert Home and The Stay at Home Festival.
Jim says: “While I was very sad to not be at the Royal Albert Hall for last night’s Sea Shambles show, the live-streamed version was an even more ambitious celebration of ocean science, comedy and music, and our relationship with the planet, than the originally planned event. I was really honoured to be asked to sing a folk song about sea travel for the show. The sea is a huge topic in traditional songs from any island nation. Jim Jones in Botany Bay is an Australian traditional song first mentioned in the memoirs of Charles McAlister, a bullock driver who worked in New South Wales in the 1840s. I first heard it sung by Martin Carthy on his album Signs Of Life, and it’s been a favourite tune for a long time.”
Watch the performance below:
Jim is currently working on the follow up to his album The Outlander, which Folk Radio described as “the most condensed and representative document of the artist that we have and that alone – besides all the great songs, of course – makes it a treasure”. He has also hosted a series of listening parties for four of his solo albums over the last few weeks, which are all available to watch again on youtube. The next one will be looking at the False Lights albums with Sam Carter, on Sunday the 31st May at 3 pm.
Head to Jim’s Youtube Channel here to watch those listening parties.
To watch the full “Sea Shambles presented by Royal Albert Home and The Stay at Home Festival” click here.