Fisherman's Friends

On 5 November 2027, The Fisherman’s Friends bring the sound of Port Isaac to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Formed in 1995, this group of Cornish singers keeps sea shanties and maritime songs at the core of its set, built on close harmonies and call-and-response, mostly a cappella with light folk instrumentation. Their repertoire draws on work songs, laments and deck-side choruses carried by oral tradition, with stories of fishing, lifeboats and harbour life woven between numbers.

After a run of self-released recordings — Suck’em and Sea (2000), Home from the Sea (2002) and Another Mouthful From... (2009) — the group reached a wider audience with Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends (2010) and One and All (2013), then returned with Proper Job (2015) and Sole Mates (2018). Their journey also fed into the films Fisherman’s Friends (2019) and its 2022 sequel, alongside the collection One and All: Music from the Movie.

Live, they balance unison shouts and layered harmonies, steady rhythms and spare accompaniment, leaving space for the chorus to carry. A set anchored in the cadence of the sea and the voices of a community.