sunday 17th august 2025
The Fisherman's Friends are a folk music group from Port Isaac, Cornwall, who sing sea shanties. They have been performing locally since 1995, and signed a record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. After three decades of bringing the heart and soul of folk music and sea shanties to life, the legendary Fisherman's Friends are back on the road once again, embarking on a brand-new tour to celebrate 30 years of friendship, and music. Promising more unforgettable performances and beloved shanties that have captured the hearts of audiences everywhere, as well as exciting new material that fans won’t want to miss!
They also would like to take a moment to acknowledge that one of their long-standing band members, Billy Hawkins, has decided to move on to new adventures. Billy received a well-deserved standing ovation from the audience at the Royal Albert Hall. “We are really going to miss him, but we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. Although he did leave the band 4 years ago and came back so you never know…”
As we bid farewell to one member, they are equally excited to welcome a new voice into the Fisherman’s Friends family. Please join them in welcoming Simon Biddick, who will be with them on their next run of dates. If you haven’t already seen him, they’re sure you’ll agree that he’s a perfect addition to their crew. Simon is a top tenor from a deeply musical Boscastle family, known for their rich history of choir and harmony singing.” We knew Simon's wonderful harmonies would be the perfect fit for the band, and you know what? We were right!”
The Fisherman’s Friends perform a vast repertoire of more than 200 sea shanties, folk songs and maritime work songs, accompanied by their talented musician mates, Marcus Bonfanti and Simon Johnson. Together, they create a rich, authentic sound using a variety of instruments, including bass, banjo, mandolin, resonator guitar, and harmonica, bringing these timeless songs of the sea to life in every performance.
Over the last year they've reached 114,000 followers on Facebook. They have two feature films to their name, grossing more than $15 million at the UK box office, not to mention ten album releases, a musical, a BBC Folk Award, a best-selling book, TV documentary and prestigious performances from The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations to Hyde Park Proms in the Park, The Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and 80,000 rugby fans at Twickenham... all while holding down day jobs.
But, it all started, singing shanties in a living room in Port Isaac back in 1990. Before long they were singing their hearts out on the Platt, passing the hat, and giving the money to local good causes.
By 2010—20 years after they began—the wider world had ‘discovered’ the Fisherman’s Friends, leading to a million-pound record deal and a Top 10 album. Unfortunately, they can no longer perform on the Platt due to the overwhelming number of people wanting to attend. They now host a few big charity shows each year, and this past year was particularly successful, raising an incredible £45,000 for the RNLI at Prideaux Place in Padstow. Additionally, they raised over £20,000 for Shelterbox, 4Louis, The Little Harbour Hospice, The Cove, and Brandon Trust at The Hall for Cornwall in Truro.
But through rough seas and calm, they've remained exactly what they always were when it all began – fishermen and their friends.
The Fisherman's Friends are: lobster fisherman Jeremy Brown, author and shopkeeper Jon Cleave, smallholder and engineer John ‘Lefty’ Lethbridge, builder John McDonnell (a Yorkshireman who visited Port Isaac more than 30 years ago and never left), Padstow fisherman Jason Nicholas, filmmaker Toby Lobb, electrician Simon Biddick and two very talented musicians Marcus Bonfanti and Simon Johnson.