Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s shantymen entertain South Coast crowds with rousing songs

The Salt Lake Shantymen may be hundreds of kilometres from the coast, but that doesn’t dampen their passion for singing tales about the sea.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s shanty group, captained by Matt O’Neil, recently travelled to the South Coast to showcase their talent and share their passion with folk song enthusiasts from across WA.

The group performed at the inaugural Bunbury Sea Shanty Festival before attending the Albany International Folk ‘n’ Shanty Festival this month.

Mr O’Neil said the atmosphere at both festivals was “electric”, with audience members singing and dancing along to the tunes.

“The crowds were really enthusiastic, especially in Albany,” he said.

“Everyone got into it and enjoyed the songs as much as we did performing them.

“We (received) overwhelmingly positive feedback everywhere we went.”

Mr O’Neil said it was “humbling” to perform alongside well-established sea shanty groups including The Albany Shantymen, The Anchormen, The Lost Quays, The Dunn Bay Wailers, The Castaways, The Sunset Coast Shanty Crew, and The Amity Rogues.

He said the group of about eight local men rehearsed regularly to develop their singing abilities to a level acceptable enough to perform at festivals.

“We had been working pretty hard on getting our sound right and working towards getting to these festivals,” he said.

While in Albany, the group also entered the Telethon Kids Institute Pirate Tug of War to raise funds for children in need.

Founded in 2022, the group aims to preserve the historical sea-faring songs, create a space for men’s fellowship, and provide entertainment for Goldfields residents.

Mr O’Neil said singing sea shanties was not only good for a person’s mental health, but also provided a connection to the traditional music that was experiencing a resurgence.

“It’s easy for people to get involved with the songs — they’ve been well recorded, they have a good amount of repetition, and they’re meant to be rousing songs,” he said.

“It’s going quite well. The crowds are loving it, and that’s the most important thing.”

Mr O’Neil said the group welcomed new members.

Those interested in joining are asked to email saltlakeshantymen@gmail.com.