Category Archives: General
Roaring Forties to tour Europe and England in August
The Roaring Forties are very excited to be heading off to the northern hemisphere to escape the Australian winter 🙂 in August. We’ll be performing at festivals in Brittany, The Netherlands and the UK and doing a few other gigs along the way. We’ll also be doing a small amount of sightseeing… Read the rest of this entry
James Craig shanty sessions resume
James Craig
The popular shanty singing sessions on the Barque “James Craig” will recommence in March 2013. The plan is to hold them on the first Thursday of each month, provided that the ship is available, starting around 7:30pm. The James Craig is a three masted, iron hulled bark, owned by Sydney Heritage Fleet.
The sessions on the Craig always leave room for everyone to participate. Aim to arrive from 7.30 and the singing will get underway by 8pm. There’s a break for supper and more singing until about 10.30pm. A great night for less than $10, less if you’re a member of the Sydney Heritage Fleet – see http://www.shf.org.au/Application/Application.html
The ship is moored at Wharf 7 (58 Pirrama Road, Pyrmont) between the Australian National Maritime Museum and the Foxtel Building. Walking or the light rail to Pyrmont Bay station are your best bet. Parking – sometimes possible at the Australian National Maritime Museum – is subject to availability. Email Margaret to be added to the email list or to confirm session details.
Welcome
Formed in 1988, Forty Degrees South have over 30 years of robust singing under their belts. First known as The Roaring Forties, in 2018 they became Forty Degrees South (40°S or “forties” for short).
Powerful individual singers the group has a formidable repertoire of traditional and trad-style contemporary songs. They have a lengthy list of themes: sea shanties, whaling songs, forebitters, work songs, mining songs, union songs, bush songs, songs of Australian history, protest songs, humorous songs, god-bothering songs, drinking songs – you name it!
They are regulars on the Australian folk festival circuit and have toured in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States, New Zealand and Norfolk Island.
The Forties are always reinventing themselves, but some things remain constant – the enjoyment they get from singing harmonies and encouraging audience participation.
[They] sing songs of maritime and mayhem, maidens fair and sporty
Old hymns and worksongs and the like, [they] are the Roaring Forties!
More information about Forties recordings and presentations here.
Read the rest of this entry
Forty Degrees South 