Fisherman’s Friends
NEW DATES ADDED FOR 2020
THU 06 FEB BRISTOL ST GEORGES HALL
SAT 08 FEB CHELTENHAM TOWN HALL
SUN 09 FEB PLYMOUTH THEATRE ROYAL
THU 13 FEB LANDUDNO VENUE CYMRU THEATRE
FRI 14 FEB BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL
SAT 15 FEB BRIDLINGTON SPA
SUN 23 FEB YORK BARBICAN
MON 24 FEB LEICESTER DE MONTFORT HALL
TUE 25 FEB FOLKESTONE LEAS CLIFF HALL
THU 05 MAR SOUTHEND CLIFFS PAVILION
FRI 06 MAR SALISBURY CITY HALL
The film about their incredible story has taken the box office by storm, already grossing $10 million in the UK alone. An outstanding achievement for a British independent film.
.‘Fisherman’s Friends’ is a small film with a big heart. The movie tells the remarkable story of The Fisherman’s Friends, the original ‘buoy band’ bound together by lifelong friendship and shared experience, who for 40 years have met on the harbour wall of their home fishing village on the north coast of Cornwall to sing the songs of the sea. It stars Daniel Mays, James Purefoy, Tuppence Middleton and Noel Clarke with cameo appearances from the group whose voices also appear on the soundtrack.
A decade ago they were persuaded to sign the million-pound record deal that saw their album Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends go Gold as they became the first ever traditional folk act to land a UK top ten album. Since then they have released four more best selling albums of shanties, sang at HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, played Glastonbury festival and been honoured with the Good Tradition Award at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.
What’s more, in an incredible twist of fate, Pete Hicks who appears in the on-screen Fisherman’s Friends has now joined the actual line up and will be out on tour with the boys this autumn.
“Singing live is what we’re all about, it’s why we started the group in the first place,” says MC and bass man Jon Cleave, instantly recognisable from his extravagant moustaches.
“The film has been a wonderful and is something we can all be very proud of, but we’re itching to get back on the road, renew some old friendships and make lots of new ones as well.”
Released alongside the Fisherman’s Friends film, the group’s latest album Keep Hauling album features 17 sea shanties – some old, some new and some slighty blue.
Cornwall’s best-known musical export, the Fisherman’s Friends have also been the subject of an ITV documentary, released the hit albums One and All (2013), Proper Job (2015) and Sole Mates (2018) and every year play to tens of thousands of fans at home and abroad.
The Fisherman’s Friends are: fisher brothers John and Jeremy Brown; writer/shopkeeper Jon Cleave; smallholder and engineer John ‘Lefty’ Lethbridge; builder John McDonnell (a Yorkshireman who visited Port Isaac more than 30 years ago and never left); Padstow fisherman Jason Nicholas; film maker Toby Lobb and the new boy, former ambulance driver Pete Hicks.
LIVE DATES 2019
MAY
Tuesday 14th Minack Theatre Porthcurno
Wednesday 15th Minack Theatre Porthcurno
Sunday 26th RHS Rosemoor Gardens Torrington
Saturday 25th Tunes in the Dunes Perranporth Beach
JUNE
Saturday 8th Royal Cornwall Show Whitecross
Saturday 15th Sea Shanty Festival Falmouth
JULY
Friday 5th Penlee Park Penzance
AUGUST
Sunday 4th Cambridge Folk Festival Cambridge
Sunday 18th Beautiful Days Festival Escort Park Devon
Friday 23rd Towersey Folk Festival Thame
Saturday 24th Carfest Laverstoke Park Farm
SEPTEMBER
Saturday 21st St Davids Hall Cardiff
Tuesday 24th Sage Gateshead Gateshead
Sunday 22nd Looe Festival Looe
OCTOBER
Sunday 6th The Bridgewater Hall Manchester
Monday 7th De La Werr Pavilion Bexhill
Tuesday 8th Bournemouth Pavilion Bournemouth
Friday 11th Barbican Centre London
Saturday 12th The Great Hall University of Exeter