Bristol, U.K. a cappella/folk group the Longest Johns rose to prominence off the back of their sea shanties and have since gone viral.

Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathon Darley, and Dave Robinson formed the Longest Johns after a night of singing sea shanties at a friend’s barbecue in 2012. Their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, came out the following year. In the run-up to an appearance at the 2015 Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, Bowker pulled out to be present for the birth of his first child; Robbie Sattin covered for him, eventually joining the band permanently. Their debut album, Written in Salt, arrived in 2016, although shortly after its release Bowker left the band to focus on running his business. Anna Cornish stepped into his shoes in 2017, appearing on their second effort, 2018’s Between Wind and Water; the album contained the track “Wellerman” which would go viral in the years to come. Cornish left in 2019 to focus on her other band, the Norfolk Broads. Wanting to shake things up for their third album, 2020’s Cures What Ails Ya, the Longest Johns incorporated full instrumentation for the first time. “Wellerman” went viral in early 2021, leading to a signing with Decca Records and a massively increased profile. The following year saw the release of their fourth studio album, Smoke & Oakum. ~ Liam Martin, Rovi

Seán Dagher is an active performer, arranger, and composer of music from various folk and classical music traditions: Celtic, Baroque, Medieval, Arabic, French-Canadian, and Maritime. He is a member of Skye Consort and is the co-artistic director of La Nef. Seán sings and plays Irish bouzouki, mandolin, oud, and banjo.

Seán has also provided arrangements for other ensembles and artists, including Camerata Nova (Winnipeg), Chor Leoni (Vancouver), Arion, Palade Musica, Les Voix Humaines, La Mandragore, Pierre Lapointe (all Montreal), Shannon Mercer, I Furiosi (Toronto), Les Voix Baroques, Choeur Louisbourg (Moncton), Cantatica (Pennsylvania), and the Nashville Baroque Orchestra. Other groups he has played with include the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Caprices, Les Boréades, Le Petit Rien.

Seán’s voice is widely known from his recordings for the Assassin’s Creed video game series, including Black Flag. His renditions of sea shanties and other songs from the games have been streamed some 70 million times. His own Shanty of the Week video series receives thousands of views a week and has a loyal following the world over.

Seán’s compositions and arrangements have been performed across Canada, the United States, and Europe. He has worked with the Festival du Monde Arabe creating shows of Middle Eastern and North African music. He has arranged and composed music for audio books, with story-teller and musician Suzanne De Serres, Youth Program Director for La Nef, and for American author Sandra Gulland. He has been a composer and sound designer for theatre productions.

He has been nominated for numerous OPUS and ADISQ awards and participated in the ADISQ-winning CD, La Traverse Miraculeuse with La Nef and Les Charbonniers de l’enfer. He has won OPUS awards for Creation of the Year (Leave Her, Johnny), Album of the Year (Skye Consort & Emma Björling) and Youth Production of the Year (Le chat et le gondolier, La Nef).

The Dreadnoughts began to play folk and punk music in 2007 with a single goal: to make enough money at shows to cover the cost of shots of Fireball Whiskey at Vancouver’s notoriously seedy Ivanhoe Hotel. Seventeen years later, they’ve matured into a band that can boast of seven studio albums, two EPs, and hundreds of unforgettable live shows spanning the globe. They’ve entertained countless audiences with their unique blend of sea shanties, polkas, and klezmer dances, all played with a power and range that few other groups can match.  Recently relocated to New York City, they’ve formed an a capella version of the group, singing the traditional nautical music from their 2017 folk release, Into The North.  Original songs from this album have been recorded by such luminaries as David Coffin, Colm McGuinness and The Longest Johns, and the Dreadnoughts bring them to the stage with their trademark blend of raw energy and wry humor.