Shanty Night at the Stag Inn

Shanty Singers at the Stag

 

The Stag Inn is at the end of All Saints Street furthest from the sea.  I pass it almost every night as I give the dogs their final walk of the day.  On various nights in the week there is the sound of singing as I walk by, and on further enquiry I found that on Tuesday nights there are folk songs, on Wednesdays "Blue Grass" music, and on Thursday night the Shanty singers.  I've been wanting to go along to hear the shanties for a while now, and finally we got there last Thursday, with our neighbours Ian and Ketil.

 

They serve more than passable food at the Stag, and we had a good dinner in what seemed an almost deserted bar at the front of the pub.  Come nine o'clock, however, various people started drifting towards the back: they were out of sight but it soon became clear that that was where the action was.  In a separate bar at the rear the singers sat or stood round a central table, while others occupied space round the edge.  There didn't seem to be any spare seats, but everyone was very welcoming and more chairs and stools were produced for us.

 

The singers in the group took turns: the pattern of a shanty is that there is a sequence of verses with a chorus.  The chorus may be to accompany the heaving of sails or winches, or just a way of getting people to join in, and varies in length.  But everyone joins in, and since both words and tune are easy to remember it's easy to feel part of the group.  The photo - taken by Ketil on his phone, so not of the first quality - gives an idea of the event.

 

It was brilliant.  We shall be heaving and ho-ing again, I predict.  Avast and belay etc. 

 

Now I've got to go and get that parrot.

 

Antony Mair