The Longest Johns
Rousing maritime harmonies and stomping rhythms that turn any room into a 19th-century galley. Communal, salt-stained folk for modern adventurers.
Rousing maritime harmonies and stomping rhythms that turn any room into a 19th-century galley. Communal, salt-stained folk for modern adventurers.
Listening to The Longest Johns feels like being pulled into a circle of friends who happen to have world-class vocal cords. It is music that demands participation, built on the sturdy bones of the sea shanty tradition where the human voice is the primary engine. There is a tactile, physical quality to their sound; you can almost hear the wood of the ship creaking and the snap of the sails in their rhythmic delivery.
What sets them apart is their ability to balance the rowdy, beer-spilling energy of a tavern singalong with moments of genuine, haunting beauty. While they are masters of the 'stomp and holler' aesthetic, they also excel at stripped-back, melancholic storytelling that treats the sea as a metaphor for grief, isolation, and the passage of time. Their vocal arrangements are tight and professional but never lose the communal, unpretentious spirit of their Bristol roots.
Start with 'Between Wind and Water' to hear the viral energy of 'Wellerman' alongside the gut-punching harmony of 'Bones in the Ocean.' It is the perfect introduction to their blend of historical reverence and modern folk accessibility.
The Longest Johns are an English folk musical group from Bristol, England, consisting of Andy Yates, Jonathan "JD" Darley, and Robbie Sattin. They are known for performing folk music and sea shanties in the English tradition, and they also compose and record their own music. They gained popularity from their rendition of the folk song "Wellerman", which went viral on TikTok in early 2021. They released their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, in 2013, the title track of which is still one of their most popular. Their first full album, Written in Salt, was released in 2016, featuring tracks such as Drunken Sailor, Old Maui and Randy Dandy-O. In June 2018 they released their second album, Between Wind & Water, which included "Wellerman". This recording, as well as the one used in the bands' Sea of Thieves series "Open Crewsing" would later fuel the sea shanty viral trend, principally on TikTok, in early 2021. In January 2021, they signed a deal with Decca Records and United Talent Agency. A year later, the group released their first album with Decca, Smoke & Oakum.
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