(Left and centre) Ian and Deirdre Backhouse with (right) a member of Forty Degrees South aboard the James Craig. Photos: Supplied.
Every Wednesday night in the heart of Kiama, the sound of sea shanties spill out of the pub as a once-spontaneous singalong has swelled into an unexpected community chorus keeping a maritime tradition alive.
The Kiama Sea Shanty Club, founded just three years ago, was started by Ian Backhouse after a chance encounter at Kiama’s Folk By The Sea festival.
Celebrating the rich maritime tradition of sea shanties with infectious enthusiasm, the club has members ranging from age six to 88 and has a strong focus on inclusivity, welcoming members regardless of ability or musical experience.
“There’s been a real resurgence in sea shanties in recent times and it stemmed from, to a degree, a movie called Fisherman’s Friend,” Ian said.
“It’s the story of a group of fishermen who still use shanties in their daily work out at sea.
“They go out fishing every morning, and sing shanties to assist them with the rhythmical work they do on board. Then for recreation, they go back to the pub and sing in the pub too.”
Ian said the movie’s storyline centred on a London music executive who hears 10 Cornish fishermen singing, believing they could make it to the top of the music charts.
“The music itself is evocative and there’s an emotional attachment to it,” he said.
“A lot of the songs we sing as a group are ones I remember learning in primary school.
“Drunken Sailor, Bound For Botany Bay, Bound For South Australia – they have simple choruses that are not hard for kids to learn.”
Meeting at Kiama Inn Hotel, formerly Tory’s Pub, it transforms an ordinary Wednesday evening into a spirited musical celebration.
Members have performed at folk festivals and were invited to sing alongside folk group Forty Degrees South during a cruise on the historic tall ship James Craig on Sydney Harbour, where they created an authentic setting by singing shanties while hauling on ropes and winding up the anchor.
Its latest performance was at the Kiama Folk By The Sea festival this month.
“It was at Kiama festival three years ago that another group called the Redfern Shanty Club were performing, and they’re a completely different demographic from us,” he said.
“They’re all mid 20s, no older than 30, with a couple of exceptions.
“They were dancing. They were singing remarkable harmonies. They had so much energy.
“They lift the roof off any performance space they’re in. They’re basically a shanty club on steroids.”
He said everybody in the room joined in, including during the shanty A Drop of Nelson’s Blood where audience members were encouraged to make up their own verse.
Kiama Sea Shanty Club in front of the James Craig.
Ian launches into song, belting out the lyrics “come on and roll the old chariot along”.
“When it got to me, I put my hand up and said, ‘I’ll sing,’” he said.
“And I sang, ‘A Kiama shanty club wouldn’t do us any harm,’” he said, launching into song again.
“At the end of their performance, the leader pointed at me and said, ‘Oh, and those of you interested in joining the Kiama shanty club, see that bloke there.
“Next thing you know, there were half a dozen people giving me their phone number.”
By the end of the weekend, and with key festival members and noted performers enthusiastic about the idea, a Kiama club was formed with Redfern as its parent club.
Initially starting in former Kiama mayor Neil Reilly and his wife’s yoga studio with 35 people, numbers have remained strong, despite faces changing each week as singers travelled from Port Kembla, the Shoalhaven and the Southern Highlands.
Its Facebook group now boasts 500 members.
Sea shanties are uploaded to their website, with even the most non-techy learning to navigate lyrics via their phone.
Each member selects a song to sing as a group, with some having penned their own shanties, including one about the Illawarra Steam Navigation Company, the SS Bombo, and about cedar-getters in the Jamberoo valley who brought logs to Kiama harbour to load onto ships bound for Sydney.
“They were all men sailors behaving badly and were all of an era where, unfortunately, misogyny was rife and just part of the fabric of their society,” he said.
“We’ve removed any of those sorts of lyrics that might offend or we’ve altered them to make them sound less sexist. We’re not in the business of offending anybody that wants to come and sing.”
Ian said they were also aware of being on an Aboriginal songline and treating the space with respect.
“It’s all about inclusivity, about feeling safe and feeling welcome and singing together in a large group that ultimately makes you feel really good,” he said.
“Even if you’ve had the worst day at work or home, an hour and 15 minutes later the weight has been removed.
“We’re building a really lovely little community.”
Learn more on Facebook or the website, or visit the Kiama Inn Hotel on Wednesdays from 7:30 pm during school terms. There are no fees or auditions.
