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30th November 2011
Hello all,
Its been another great year for the Shantymen which we have enjoyed immensely. It would be difficult to pick one event above all others as there were so many which ticked all the boxes so I have included a few comments about some of the notable gigs.
The journey to St Vaast on Friday 13th May where nineteen Shantymen crossed the channel to spend the weekend performing at a 'premier' shanty festival has to figure as one of the most interesting. We performed a number of times over that weekend and during our last performance on the Sunday afternoon, for which we received a standing ovation, we managed to include our hosts singing with us the French version of the shanty Santiano which really delighted our audience. This was fitting end to what can only be described as a wonderful weekend.
The following month we went off to sing at the now International Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival for three days where we met with many old friends and colleagues. Apart from singing at the normal street venues, this year on Saturday night 18th June the Shantymen performed at the Falmouth Arts Centre Theatre with the Exeter Shantymen. On Sunday morning we had the real pleasure of singing at the Falmouth Parish Church with the church choir and afterwards having tea and buscuits with them all. It was a real change from our normal gig routine and we were made so welcome by everybody.
Over the weekend of 9/10 July we were invited to perform at the RNLI Headquarters in Poole during their open weekend which felt very much to us like supporting the home side. We promote and support the RNLI both locally and nationally and we welcome ways of supporting them and this gig was just a delightful experience for us all as well as a great weekend.
Interestingly on 23rd May we were filmed for one episode of Ade In Britain with Adrian Edmondson for a part of his new series which did not go out until the end of Autumn and we were not allowed to put it on our website until the series went live. I believe there is a clip on youtube and I hope our web master (who by the way has built us a great new web site) will be able to put a clip as well as some photos on our web site. Bottom line Ade, who by the way has a great sense of humour, cooked us some local crabs which he dressed with cheese's and assorted herbs and spices and which were suprisingly very tasty. That may sound somewhat damned by faint praise but you really have to do something a bit special to improve the Cromer crab for which north Norfolk has become rightly famous but Ade did produce a very edible and delicious version.
We have almost completed another great year which also happens to be our 21st! and believe it we are now looking to the 22nd year to see what that brings.
Take care & safe sailing.
Brian J Farrow
Musical Director ~ 30th November 2011
Sheringham Shantymen ~ Norfolk UK
