The Longest Johns

Bristol’s beloved sea-shanty pioneers The Longest Johns originally formed after a group of friends, who had bonded over playing video games, decided to have a go at singing sea shanties. After recording themselves on YouTube singing in one of the band member’s kitchens just a week later, the band began its whirlwind journey to shanty festivals across the globe.The band quickly adopted a focus on social media, introducing more people to the joy of sea shanties and folk music through modern media, and building a passionate global community of listeners along the way. For over more than a decade, The Longest Johns have balanced preservation with reinvention. Digital natives as much as tradition-bearers, The Longest Johns continue to explore how communal singing resonates in a fragmented world. Known for transforming theatres into communal singing spaces, they bring songs once heard on dockyards and deckboards back to life for contemporary audiences.