Arnside Maritime Singing Festival

Annual August Bank Holiday Festival of Maritime Singing with sea shanty groups and maritime folk singers in aid of Morecambe RNLI. Singing on the Arnside Pier and in ASC Clubhouse. Programme for the day is.

Arnside Pier

1 pm to 4 pm Singing by Sea Shanty Groups on the Pier (Free)

ASC Clubhouse

1 pm to 3 pm Open Singing Session where different performers get up and sing led by Mike Taylor

3 pm to 5.30 pm Afternoon Concert

7.30 pm to 10 pm Evening Concert

The festival is in aid of RNLI Morecambe Bay Lifeboat Stations. The RNLI are celebrating their 200th anniversary this year. At Morecambe the RNLI have an inshore rescue craft and the “Hurley Flyer” a hovercraft, well suited to shallow water and sand banks of Morecambe Bay.

Background to Sea Shanties

Sea Shanties were originally sung by sailors on tall ships when setting sails, heaving on ropes or pulling up the anchor to coordinate actions. They tend to use a call and response format with one sailor singing the first line followed by a refrain by the rest of the crew making them catchy and easy to remember. Well known shanties include  “Blow the Man Down” a halyard shanty sung used when pulling up the sails, “Blood Red Roses” about rounding Cape Horn in a whaling ship and “What shall we do with the Drunken Sailor”.

Arnside’s Maritime History

Arnside has a long maritime history. Sea going vessels used to come estuary with goods for Kendal unloading at Sandside and Milnthorpe. The Clubhouse is an Old Customs Warehouse. The Victorians held regattas. Crossfields built yachts and Morecambe Bay Prawners.

Performers include

All@Sea – The Lake District’s leading Sea Shanty Group: Sandra & Steve Harrison, John & Maggie Stockdale plus Jen Wilson have enjoyed the folk scene for several decades, so as All at Sea they have a wide ranging repertoire to choose from. Songs from the tradition, from Hugill’s collection, alternate with those from contemporary songwriters, all delivered acapella, some with actions! They have featured in events across the borders to Ireland, Scotland, Lancashire and Devon. https://www.facebook.com/iseenoships

Mizzen Crew – The Mizzen Crew is a Shanty Crew enjoying delivering songs, stories and music relating to life on the water.  They share a passion for keeping traditions alive through entertainment and workshops.

Their members come from Cumbria and Lancashire and are always looking for those with a similar passion for telling the story of the lives of those who worked on the sea through the medium of shanties and song.

They have a varied repertoire thanks to the contributions from each member of the crew who not only bring new ideas and material to their library but also are happy to lead the songs.  To find out more about them https://www.themizzencrew.org/  

Sunderland Point Sea Shanty Crew – The Sunderland Crew are a brilliant, energetic and eclectic Sea Shanty Band from Sunderland Point at the mouth of the River Lune south of the Lancaster. The village is approached by a tidal road that gets flooded at high tide. Sunderland Point was established in the early eighteenth century as an outport for Lancaster with warehouses lining the quay trading mainly with America and the West Indies. Find out more on their facebook site https://www.facebook.com/thesunderlandpointseashantycrew/

Tom Perry and Clive Brooks – Tom and Clive have appeared at various Folk festivals and clubs singing unaccompanied traditional and contemporary material. www.tomperryandclivebrooks.com

Lunetide – Folk duo from Sunderland Point playing quirky, original songs about life, love,  wildlife and the wonderful place where they live. They featured in the BBC Arnside Villages by the Sea Programme singing the “Severn Song” about Severn a yacht owned by the Sailing Club built in Arnside in 1912 which is currently being restored. They performed at Glastonbury this year. Facebook site https://www.facebook.com/p/Lunetide-100083970338196

Lawrence Hoy and Steven Higgins – From Wigan. Lawrence & Steve are both folk singers. They have been singing separately and together in the folk clubs and at the folk festivals up and down the country for many years.

Lawrence is a well established singer songwriter with several highly acclaimed albums to his name, while his singing partner, Steve enjoys a great reputation as a top guitarist and a fine exponent of both traditional and contemporary folk.

Lawrence’s 1988 Album “Beyond the Seas” is about the voyage of the first convicts to Australia in 1788 which included two people from Wigan. Video https://www.facebook.com/100063858300847/videos/847742566319433

Together they provide an eclectic listening experience, warm and friendly, all delivered in great musical style https://youtu.be/tpLBjh_xml8