The Longest Johns

The Longest Johns bring their maritime folk to Rock City in Nottingham on 28 May 2026. Rooted in Bristol, the quartet started as an a cappella outfit singing sea shanties and coastal ballads, then broadened their sound with tight harmonies, simple percussion and acoustic folk arrangements. On stage, they slide from traditional work songs to original material like Bones in the Ocean, keeping the call-and-response spirit alive and turning choruses into communal moments. Their path runs through albums Written in Salt, Between Wind and Water and Cures What Ails Ya, where they set the tone for a repertoire that mixes inherited tales and fresh writing about life at sea. The viral success of their version of Wellerman in 2021 pushed those harmonies far beyond folk circles, leading to Smoke & Oakum in 2022, an album that leans into rough-hewn narratives, steady rhythms and voices carried in unison. Expect storytelling, layered vocals and arrangements that favour clarity over excess, with the occasional nod to their collaborations around the Sea of Thieves universe. A set built for singing along, anchored in tradition but open to new currents.