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The Longest Johns

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The Longest Johns
OriginBristol, England
Genres
Years active2012–present
LabelsDecca Records
MembersAndy Yates
Dave Robinson
Jonathan Darley
Robbie Sattin
Websitethelongestjohns.com

The Longest Johns are a British folk musical group from Bristol, England,[1][2] consisting of Andy Yates, Dave Robinson, Jonathan "JD" Darley, and Robbie Sattin. They are known for performing folk music and sea shanties in the English tradition, and they also compose and record their own music.[3] They gained popularity from their rendition of the 1800s folk song "Wellerman", which went viral on TikTok in early 2021.[4][5][6]

They released their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, in 2013, the title track of which is still one of their most popular.

Their first full album, Written in Salt, was released in 2016, featuring tracks such as Drunken Sailor, Old Maui and Randy Dandy-O.

In June 2018 they released their second album, Between Wind & Water, which contained the smash hit "Wellerman". This recording, as well as the one used in the bands' Sea of Thieves series "Open Crewsing" would go on to cause the viral sensation in the years to come.

In March 2020, they released a song titled "Flatten the Curve", urging people to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

In June 2020, the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya. This album was the Johns' first album featuring a full array of instruments on half of the songs.

In January 2021, they signed a deal with Decca Records and United Talent Agency.[8]

Career

The Longest Johns formed in June 2012 after first singing together at a friend's barbecue.[9] The original line up consisted of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan Darley and Dave Robinson. About a week later, they posted their first video on YouTube, singing "Haul Away Joe."

The band recorded their first EP, Bones in the Ocean in 2013, which was wholly original music. It was released on May 27, 2013.[10] The band released their second EP, Christmas at Sea, later that same year, on December 2, 2013.[11]

In 2015, Bowker was forced away from the band for the birth of his daughter, causing him to miss the 2015 Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival. Robbie Sattin joined the band as a replacement, and the band later announced that he would be officially joining the band.[citation needed]

The band released their first full-length album, Written in Salt, on June 18, 2016.[12] Following this release, and amid the band's heightening popularity, Bowker left the band to focus on running his business.[citation needed]

In November 2017, the band announced via Facebook that Anna Cornish would become the first female member of the band, having been singing with them for several months prior.

In April 2016, the band began recording their second studio album. The title of the album was later announced to be Between Wind and Water, and was released on June 19, 2018.[13]

In October 2019, the band announced that Cornish would be leaving the band to focus on her other band, The Norfolk Broads.

On June 10, 2020, the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya.[14]

In June 2021, the band recorded their fourth studio album. On October 20, they announced that the title of the album would be Smoke & Oakum, and that it would be released on January 21, 2022.

On 6 December 2021, they participated in The Yogscast's Jingle Jam livestream, performing a mixture of shanties and cover versions of popular music and Yogscast original music.[15]

Recordings

The band has self-released three albums and several EPs: EP Bones in the Ocean (2013), Written in Salt (2016), Between Wind and Water (2018), and Cures What Ails Ya (2020).[16]

Between Wind and Water was released on June 19, 2018[17] by the band through Bandcamp. The album includes 15 tracks with traditional songs and original compositions.

Cures What Ails Ya was released in 2020 by the band and includes a mix of traditional tunes and their band's own compositions. In a review Mike Davies stated the band takes a "irreverent and playful approach to the tradition." Tunes such as "Got No Beard" and "Hoist up the Thing" are humorous in nature.[18] Their original tune "Fire and Flame" tells the story of Halifax Explosion, a 1917 maritime disaster which took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.[19]

In 2021, the band released Land Shanties as a partnership with Suzuki which was described as, "the genre-defining Land Shanties album—the soundtrack to the Suzuki Vitara. Capturing all the fun and adventure of the high seas on the highways, Land Shanties is a concept album following one hero's quest to buy almond milk for his sweetheart."[20]

The band collaborated with shanty punk band Skinny Lister on their 2021 single "Damn the Amsterdam".

TikTok viral trend

The Longest Johns found a surge in fame after a sea shanty video went viral on TikTok. The trend started back in August 2019 when The Longest Johns released a YouTube video of them singing the song "Wellerman" as the first episode of their Sea of Thieves series, Open Crewsing. This video was shared around on many online platforms including Reddit, iFunny and Tumblr amassing many millions of views. The song then found a strong following on TikTok, with many users creating memes and popularising the song on the platform. A lot of the success of the song has been attributed to Scottish musician and TikTok user Nathan Evans who uploaded a video of himself singing the maritime song, which quickly went viral with the help of other users adding their own contributions through the duet feature on the app.

However, the spark that ignited the worldwide phenomenon happened when two brothers released a TikTok of them listening to The Longest Johns version of the song in a car. This video goes through the emotion of initially not liking the song, but slowly becoming enraptured by it and wanting to join in with the singing. The trend sparked a huge interest in sea shanties, with millions of people discovering The Longest Johns' recording of Wellerman, originally released on their 2018 album Between Wind and Water.[21] The song has been streamed on Spotify over 41 million times (as of October 21, 2021).

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
Written in Salt
  • Released: 17 June 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, CD
Between Wind and Water
  • Released: 7 June 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, CD, Vinyl
Cures What Ails Ya
  • Released: 10 June 2020
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, CD, Vinyl
Land Shanties
  • Released: 1 September 2021
  • Label: Decca Records
  • Format: Digital download
Commodore 1864
  • Released: 7 December 2021
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download
Smoke & Oakum
  • Released: 28 January 2022
  • Label: Decca Records
  • Format: Digital download, CD, Vinyl, Cassette

Extended plays

Title Details
Bones in the Ocean
  • Released: 27 May 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, CD
Christmas at Sea
  • Released: 2 December 2013
  • Label: Self-released
  • Format: Digital download, CD
Santiano
  • Released: 22 April 2021
  • Label: Decca Records
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[22]
"Drunken Sailor" 2013 — Written in Salt
"Christmas at Sea" — Non-album singles
"Fairytale of New York" 2019 —
"(See You All) When Lockdown Ends" 2020 —
"Wellerman" 2021 37
"Hard Times Come Again No More" — Smoke & Oakum
"The Mary Ellen Carter" —
"The Workers Song" (feat. Seth Lakeman) —

References

  1. ^ Furdyk, Brent (2020-12-31). "The Longest Johns Host 500-Person Singalong Of Sea Shanty". ET Canada. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  2. ^ "About Us". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  3. ^ "Written in Salt by The Longest Johns". brightyoungfolk.com. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  4. ^ "The true story behind the viral TikTok sea shanty hit". The Guardian. 2021-01-15. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  5. ^ "Tendance. Les "sea shanties", des chants de marins à l'abordage de TikTok". Courrier international (in French). 2021-01-13. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  6. ^ "Why TikTok (and Everyone Else) Is Singing Sea Chanteys". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  7. ^ Murray, Robin (2020-03-26). "Bristol band release catchy song urging people to stay indoors". BristolLive. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  8. ^ "Bristol sea shanty sensations The Longest Johns sign major record label deal". Bristol 24/7. 2021-01-25. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  9. ^ Cork, Tristan (2021-01-18). "Bristol band behind viral phenomenon Sea Shanty TikTok". BristolLive. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  10. ^ "Bones in the Ocean, by The Longest Johns". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  11. ^ "Christmas at Sea, by The Longest Johns". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  12. ^ "Written in Salt, by The Longest Johns". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  13. ^ "Between Wind and Water, by The Longest Johns". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  14. ^ "Cures What Ails Ya, by The Longest Johns". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  15. ^ The Yogscast [@Yogscast] (December 6, 2021). "Well how exciting, we have @TheLongestJohns here right now about to go live for some #JingleJam2021 Sea Shanties!!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2022-01-24 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "The Longest Johns". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  17. ^ "Between Wind and Water, by The Longest Johns". The Longest Johns. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  18. ^ Davies, Mike (2020-06-12). "THE LONGEST JOHNS – Cures What Ails Ya (own label)". Folking.com. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  19. ^ Davies, Mike (2020-06-12). "THE LONGEST JOHNS – Cures What Ails Ya (own label)". Folking.com. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  20. ^ "Vitara Land Shanties | Suzuki Australia". www.suzuki.com.au. Retrieved 2021-10-08.
  21. ^ "Bristol band The Longest Johns steer sea shanty craze". BBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  22. ^ "Longest Johns | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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