The Silver Shantymen was founded in the spring of 2015 when four long-standing singing friends met and decided to start a sea shanty group under the aegis of the Silver Programme at the Sage, Gateshead. The Shantymen quickly expanded to six and then eleven singers and the first public performance was a small impromptu concert in the cafe at Gateshead Old Town Hall on 2nd December 2015.
Regular performances soon followed and the Shantymen now sing frequently in public and at private events. (See “Forthcoming Events and Archives” for more information.) Audience participation is always encouraged. The group is peer-led and individual Shantymen take responsibility for leading and teaching different songs in the repertoire.
Our group has been supported by the County Durham Community Foundation’s Mick Danby Music Fund.