From hauling ropes and sails, to emmigration and endentured labour, sea shanties have been sung by sea faring people all over the world, and offer glimpse of the world that came before the one we know today.  

Tessa Campisi speaks to Gus Franklin, of the Southern Ocean Sea Band, a 10-piece folk group who write and perform sea shanties for their beloved south-west Victorian coast, on Eastern Maar and Gunditjimaara country.

They speak about the history and purpose of sea shanties, what we can decipher about the past from folk songs, and the importance of telling local histories beyond the pages of the written archive. 

Links

https://www.facebook.com/southernoceanseaband  

https://thesouthernoceanseaband.bandcamp.com/