The Sea Band

The Sea Band focuses on the musical heritage of the coasts and sea routes of the Celtic Sea.

The Sea Band are a rip-roaring and colourful combination of virtuosic traditional singers and musicians based in the Welsh Marches near the River Severn. This great river has long formed a gateway to the Celtic Sea and beyond, to the cod fishing grounds of the North Atlantic. The Sea Band’s music reflects these connections, combining fast-paced instrumental music and ballads from the farming and fishing communities of Cornwall, Wales, Ireland and Cape Breton with songs from the ports of the North Atlantic. With performances rich in musicianship, passion and humour, the Sea Band have proved popular with European festival audiences from Norway to the Mediterranean.

Formed in 2017 by Alan Lamb and Penny McCarthy and Graham Jenkins the band is based in the Welsh Marches, but with Irish and West Country roots. The Sea Band focus on the musical heritage of the coasts and sea routes of the Celtic Sea. Melodies from less well-known old Cornish, Welsh and Irish collections form a unique repertoire that include rarely heard songs and tunes as well as reinterpretations of more well-known pieces. Some of their  fast-paced jigs, reels and polkas have been helping create wild parties for hundreds of  years. Songs of shipwrecks, naval battles and doomed young lovers connect us to the emotional landscape of our ancestors, with joys, worries and passions that often come very close to our own. The instrumentation ranges from the ancient Welsh lyre the Crwth to the euphonium and clarinet and the unmistakeable arrangements take you on a truly unique musical journey through time and over the wild Celtic sea.

The current lineup includes Alan Lamb, Penny McCarthy. Andy Bole and we are joined at some of the larger events by Paul James

In 2025 we have played at festivals in England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium and are currently confirming bookings with festivals for 2026.