Chart topping folk group The Longest Johns are known the world over for their rollicking harmonies and raucous energy that are blowing new wind into the sails of traditional sea shanties and work songs. Formed in 2012 across a kitchen table in their native Bristol, they bonded over a passion for traditional maritime folk music, interwoven with a wry humour, a taste for all things digital. and a flair for their own songwriting – ancient meets modern down by the docks.
Constant gigging over land and sea, coupled with a rare command of social media and a string of quality releases saw them build a devoted fanbase at home and abroad. Their breakout moment came in 2021, when their rendition of ‘Wellerman’ went viral on TikTok, sparking the ‘Shanty Tok’ craze that became a global resurgence in sea shanty music and saw the band sign to Decca Records.
This year, they have released their tenth album to round up the Pieces of Eight project – an EP a month for eight months culminating in the 24-track compilation. In the next 12 months they’ll continue to take folk music back to its roots by many routes, playing more than 100 shows across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.
Their love of heritage and tradition runs deep – in 2024 they released the fan-funded album Voyage with its companion book of original short stories, artwork and lyrics. However, as digital natives and avid gamers, The Longest Johns were overjoyed to play at the opening of the 2025 Pokémon Europe International Championships where they debuted a new track, Face the World, written especially for the event.
With a strong digital presence boasting over 500,000 YouTube subscribers and nearly 700,000 monthly Spotify listeners, they’ve also released a 20-track album of sea shanties digitally retooled in Chiptune, taken part in the annual Jingle Jam hosted by gaming stream The Yogscast, and share their own video games on YouTube and Twitch @LongestJohnsGaming.
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