The Fisherman’s Friends, the beloved folk group from Cornwall made famous from the films of the same name, will be in Australia for the very first time as they bring their rousing sea shanties and seafaring spirit to cities across the country.
Following a sold-out performance at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London and another series of sold-out shows across the UK, the multi-million-selling shanty band is finally heading to Australia, fulfilling a lifelong dream to bring their show to our distant shores.
Wednesday 7 January Adelaide, SA Thebarton Theatre
Thursday 8 January Brunswick, VIC Brunswick Ballroom
Friday 9 January Geelong, VIC Costa Hall
Saturday 10 January St Kilda, VIC Palais Theatre
Sunday 11 January Frankston, VIC Frankston Arts Centre
Tuesday 13 January Hobart, TAS Wrestpoint Casino, Tasman Room
Thursday 15 January Canberra, ACT Llewellyn Hall
Saturday 17 January Blue Mountains, NSW Blue Mountains Theatre
Sunday 18 January Sydney, NSW State Theatre
Tuesday 20 January Newcastle, NSW Civic Theatre
Wednesday 21 January Gold Coast, QLD Star Theatre
Thursday 22 January Caloundra, QLD The Events Centre – King’s Theatre
Friday 23 January Brisbane, QLD Brisbane Powerhouse
Sunday 25 January Perth, WA Riverside Theatre
“We’ve been singing sea shanties and work songs about, from and inspired by Australia for as long as we’ve been a band. Our part of the world has a strong connection to Australia – Cornish people have migrated there for more than 200 years – and I’m told there’s even folk down there who speak Kernewek like natives. So, at long last, to be able to perform there is a dream come true if I’m honest.” said John Cleeves
The Fisherman’s Friends come from the scenic fishing hamlet of Port Isaac—famous to many as the backdrop of the popular TV series Doc Martin. The group formed in 1995 and consists of local fishermen, lifeboat crew, and coastguards. Inspired by their environment and the traditional songs of their region, this eclectic group of locals grew into a worldwide singing sensation. In 2010, they signed a major record deal, and in 2019, their story inspired the box office hit film Fisherman’s Friends. A sequel was released in 2022.
The Fisherman’s Friends are lobster fisherman Jeremy Brown, author and shopkeeper Jon Cleave, smallholder and engineer John ‘Lefty’ Lethbridge, builder John McDonnell (a Yorkshireman who visited Port Isaac more than 30 years ago and never left), Padstow fisherman Jason Nicholas, filmmaker Toby Lobb and electrician Simon Biddick.
On tour, The Fisherman’s Friends perform a repertoire of over 200 sea shanties and maritime work songs, accompanied by their musician mates, Marcus Bonfanti and Simon Johnson, who play various instruments including bass, banjo, mandolin, and resonator guitar.
Audience members will be singing along loudly to traditional shanties and lively originals like “No Hopers, Jokers & Rogues,” “John Kanaka,” and “Sailor Ain’t a Sailor.” One of their most popular songs in Australia is definitely South Australia. First recorded by The Fisherman’s Friends for their breakthrough album, 2010’s top ten hit Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends, its popularity soared when it appeared in the Fisherman’s Friends 2019 film.
Over the past year, the Fisherman’s Friends have accumulated over 13.5 million streams on Spotify, with more than 170,000 monthly listeners and 121,000 Facebook followers. Besides starring in two hit movies, they have released ten albums, created a beloved stage musical, received a BBC Folk Award, authored a best-selling book, been featured in a TV documentary, and performed at major events from The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury to Hyde Park Proms in the Park and in front of 80,000 rugby fans at Twickenham… all while maintaining day jobs in Port Isaac.
“Singing live is where we belong!. It’s all about sharing the songs we love with the people we love to see, our wonderful audiences, and we can’t wait to meet our fans Down Under. Haul away!” said Jeremy Brown
https://thefishermansfriends.com
Presented by Andrew Kay
Fisherman’s Friends 2026 Australian tour
Tickets on sale now via https://akaaustralia.com.au/fishermans-friends/
Robert is the founder of AustralianSenior.com.
He studied Journalism and Marketing at USC and TV Presentation at NIDA. He is passionate about advocating for seniors and presenting non-biased, fact-based news to enable those over 50 to thrive in an increasingly complicated digital world. He covers all areas of life and style, from pop culture to the economy and travel to events. If it's worth reading, it's worth writing about.
He loves to travel the globe and is a recently diagnosed, late-in-life Type One Diabetic.