Fisherman's Friends

The Fisherman’s Friends sail into New Theatre Oxford on 2 October 2027, bringing the sound of Port Isaac’s quays to the city. Formed in Cornwall in 1995, the group keeps sea shanties and traditional nautical songs at the heart of its set, built on close harmonies and the shared cadence of voices used to singing together. Much of the show leans a cappella, with arrangements that have grown over time to include a stripped-back folk accompaniment on stage, leaving space for the stories and the blend of voices.

Their repertoire mines songs shaped by work, weather and homecomings, carried by dry humour, plainspoken storytelling and call-and-response refrains. Over the years, they’ve taken these songs from harbour walls to major folk stages, moving from self-released recordings to wider releases like Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends and One and All. Their journey has even inspired films, but the focus here is the live tradition: voices up front, the rhythm simple and human, and a set that keeps these coastal songs very much alive at New Theatre Oxford, Oxford, on 2 October 2027.