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Wellington Sea Shanty Society

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New Zealand’s Most ‘Sea Worthy’ Shanty Group have been belting out traditional sea songs from Aotearoa, France, Spain, the UK and more, for more than two years. Sailors and landlubbers from across the country have been battered by the rousing chorus of this two-man tempest of pure shanty. The W.S.S.S believe that ‘a shanty shared is a shanty savoured’, so they pass out shanty song sheets to one and all so people can sing along. The W.S.S.S comprise Vorn Dont le Père Etait Marin, from the indie pop band Vorn, and Lake Davineer, from the electro pop band Urbantramper. Vorn is on squeeze box duties, while Lake strums the git-fiddle. Rousing harmonies and raucous foot-stomping abound! They also perform as a 4 piece with drums and violin…

RNZ talks to Wellington Sea Shanty Society member, Lake…

In 2013 the W.S.S.S made waves with their first album – the Sunday Star Times called it “probably the best dance album of the year”. In 2015 the group releasee a new collection of spume-filled anthems: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL SEA SHANTIES Vol II. Vol II sees the band exploring their NZ heritage and showcases the salty songwriting talent of Vorn and Lake. The album features 5 original songs that ‘shantify’ the stories of NZ historical figures such as Sam Parnell (credited with establishing the 8 hour working day in NZ), ‘Young Nick’ (supposedly awarded 5 gallons of rum by James Cook for sighting the promontory that would be named after him), and early European ‘Pakeha Maori’ Jacky Marmon (‘Cannibal Jack’) and George White (aka Barnett Burns). With the translation of French classic ‘Le Corsaire Le Grand Coureur’, the South Pacific remix of ‘All For Me Grog’, and reworking of sealing classic ‘Blood Red Roses’…

RNZ reviews the W.S.S.S…

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After a recent national tour performing songs from their debut album ‘Now that’s What I Call Sea Shanties Volume 1’. Nick Atkinson welcomed Vorn and Lake into Radio New Zealand’s Auckland Studios for a live session…

Nick Bollinger seta sail with the W.S.S.S FOR Volume 2…

Cover/Text sourced from Bandcamp & W.S.S.S. Used with permission.

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