RX Shantymen

There has been renaissance in Shanty singing and maritime music generally in recent years, Hastings in East Sussex has been at the forefront of this renaissance. Partly responsible for the re-emergence of this maritime tradition in Hastings – a small fishing town with one of the few beach-launched fleets remaining in the UK – have been the four individuals making up the RX Shantymen who had previously sung with the Hastings Shanty Singers.

They got together after having been heard singing individually, it was suggested that they would make a great sound together (public opinion was right!). Their mission is quite simply to spread the gospel of Shanty singing and maritime music, entertain their audience and have a good time doing it.

The group ran popular weekly shanty sessions at the Jenny Lind Inn, performed several times on HMS Victory, released a CD, and eventually split around 2019 with members moving away, or venturing off to other things. An offshoot of the group, “XRX Shantymen” existed briefly, made up of Jon Tigwell, Scott Reid Mick Bovee plus one other, but by 2020 the weekly sessions were in danger of ending until Completely Scuppered took them over.

CD: RX Shantymen ‘Live at the Jenny Lind’ (*)

“Recorded live at the Jenny Lind Inn in the heart of Hastings Old Town in 2024. The Jenny Lind Inn holds regular shanty sessions every Thursday evening from 20:30.

The RX Shantymen deliver their own unique renditions of 17 classic sea shanties on this amazing ‘Sing along’ CD.

Included with the CD is a beautiful glossy 8 page booklet featuring photographs taken by local photographer John Hayward plus information on the origins of shanty singing, the story of Jenny Lind, the tale of the lifeboat that became known as the ‘Ghost of Dunkirk’ and a few words from the RNLI.