FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS
INTERVIEW WITH JON CLEAVE
‘UNLOCKED & UNLEASHED’ UK TOUR 2021
5th November 2021
Southend's Cliffs Pavilion
INTERVIEW WITH JON CLEAVE
‘UNLOCKED & UNLEASHED’ UK TOUR 2021
5th November 2021
Southend's Cliffs Pavilion
Fisherman’s Friends have now become a hugely successful band in the world of folk music with the film made about the story of their initial discovery and subsequent rise to fame. A sequel to the film is on the way and a brand new musical, based on their story, has also recently opened in their beloved Cornwall.
As I begin my interview with Jon Cleave, (the bass and link man), the band are on a bus to Cambridge having performed the night before at the world-renowned London Palladium. I ask John if this level of success could have ever even been dreamed of.
“Well, it's been fantastic, so, ‘no’ is the answer. We’ve done the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, The Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, Twickenham with 85,000 people.”
“Although,” he laughs, “most of them had gone to the urinals at half time so the stadium was almost empty when we played.” He continues with the heady list of venues, “Proms In The Park in front of 50,000 people and the Palladium last night, which was very exciting. We had the audience up on their feet and dancing in the aisles at the end. So, it’s all been great fun and completely unexpected. When you think that we started off in Port Isaac singing by the harbour with about half a dozen people there, it really has been an amazing journey.”
However, the boys have always kept their local jobs and lives going in Cornwall too. They all have their own businesses and plan the touring schedule around their work and families. Do they all get on?
“We tend to be away for about a week with three or four shows at a time. We’re all gentlemen of a certain age and we’ve only done one gig so far on this tour. We are on our way for the second show in Cambridge tonight and we’re getting on each other’s nerves already. So this schedule suits us all fine.” Jon answers frankly.
Although the initial aim for them was just to play in the local pub in Port Isaac, word soon got around that there was an exciting new folk band playing and, with the heavy tourist numbers visiting, the boys soon found themselves playing regularly to crowds of around 2,000 people a night.
“It could all get a bit dangerous if high tide was around 6.00 or 7.00 at night, as there was nowhere for the crowds to go.” Jon explains with a grin. “Large numbers of the audience drowning wouldn’t go down very well.”
Jon proves to be a very funny and self-effacing man. He enjoys making jokes and doesn’t take himself too seriously at all. Being head link-man for the shows he is more than likely to have a tale to tell about his very full moustache, a feature of which he is extremely proud. He is, however, modest about the musical strengths of the group telling me, “The only simple thing about the band is us.” he says.
All of the members of the band contribute new songs, whilst harmonies and instrumental arrangements are quickly and deftly worked out orally.
“Very little is written down. We don’t use much sheet music and we also shift things around a little bit each night depending on the liveliness of the crowd,” he tells me.
The film, Fisherman’s Friends, which came out in 2019 is a very entertaining and highly feel-good movie, but it is intriguing to find out how true the story is from Jon.
“Well, the part how we are discovered is true. We were performing down by the harbour and Rupert Christie, an independent music producer, was in the crowd one day. But later, we had a separate manager. The part about the pub being bought by the community is not true, but there is a lot of anecdotal stuff that is true. We all felt that the film, and the up-coming sequel, both captured the spirit of the band; the cast do that very well.”
Jon continues, “One interesting fact is that one of our newer band members, Pete Hicks, used to sing in another sea shanty group further up the coast in Boscastle . He cheekily auditioned to be one of the singers in the film, and got in. We were short one weekend and we knew that Pete knew all the songs, so we asked him to come with us. He’s now a permanent member so that’s a proper example of life imitating art.”
Apart from the original movie, which is so beautifully shot in Cornwall with its stunning scenery, the story of Fisherman’s Friends has now inspired a soon to be released sequel, as well as a new musical for the theatre, which is currently playing at Hall For Cornwall.
The band’s debut album became the highest selling folk release of all time. These remarkable facts are not lost on the band, who have the aim of sharing the songs of their ancestors; and Cornwall. It is this authenticity which keeps their audiences coming back for more. The film boosted audience numbers hugely, just at a point when the boys felt that interest in the band might be dwindling. With the sequel coming up, Fisherman’s Friends will no doubt be on the road for some time yet.
Over the years, the band’s line up has inevitably changed, with only 4 of the original members remaining. Recent additions Toby and Jason joined from Padstow. They are both instrumentalists with Jason playing the piano accordion, reflecting the tradition of the Obby Otts, a local annual Padstow cultural event where at least 120 accordionists can be found playing.
Jon and the rest of the Fisherman’s Friends are greatly looking forward to re-visiting Southend's Cliffs Pavilion, where they have previously had a fabulous crowd - as only Southend can provide - on their first appearance here and are really looking forward to receiving a similar reception when they visit this week.
There are a few tickets still available (links below) for their Cliffs Pavilion concert on Friday, November 5th. A great evening of songs and stories is certainly assured.
Interview by Andrew Walters
Edit: K Tobin
As I begin my interview with Jon Cleave, (the bass and link man), the band are on a bus to Cambridge having performed the night before at the world-renowned London Palladium. I ask John if this level of success could have ever even been dreamed of.
“Well, it's been fantastic, so, ‘no’ is the answer. We’ve done the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, The Royal Festival Hall, The Royal Albert Hall, Twickenham with 85,000 people.”
“Although,” he laughs, “most of them had gone to the urinals at half time so the stadium was almost empty when we played.” He continues with the heady list of venues, “Proms In The Park in front of 50,000 people and the Palladium last night, which was very exciting. We had the audience up on their feet and dancing in the aisles at the end. So, it’s all been great fun and completely unexpected. When you think that we started off in Port Isaac singing by the harbour with about half a dozen people there, it really has been an amazing journey.”
However, the boys have always kept their local jobs and lives going in Cornwall too. They all have their own businesses and plan the touring schedule around their work and families. Do they all get on?
“We tend to be away for about a week with three or four shows at a time. We’re all gentlemen of a certain age and we’ve only done one gig so far on this tour. We are on our way for the second show in Cambridge tonight and we’re getting on each other’s nerves already. So this schedule suits us all fine.” Jon answers frankly.
Although the initial aim for them was just to play in the local pub in Port Isaac, word soon got around that there was an exciting new folk band playing and, with the heavy tourist numbers visiting, the boys soon found themselves playing regularly to crowds of around 2,000 people a night.
“It could all get a bit dangerous if high tide was around 6.00 or 7.00 at night, as there was nowhere for the crowds to go.” Jon explains with a grin. “Large numbers of the audience drowning wouldn’t go down very well.”
Jon proves to be a very funny and self-effacing man. He enjoys making jokes and doesn’t take himself too seriously at all. Being head link-man for the shows he is more than likely to have a tale to tell about his very full moustache, a feature of which he is extremely proud. He is, however, modest about the musical strengths of the group telling me, “The only simple thing about the band is us.” he says.
All of the members of the band contribute new songs, whilst harmonies and instrumental arrangements are quickly and deftly worked out orally.
“Very little is written down. We don’t use much sheet music and we also shift things around a little bit each night depending on the liveliness of the crowd,” he tells me.
The film, Fisherman’s Friends, which came out in 2019 is a very entertaining and highly feel-good movie, but it is intriguing to find out how true the story is from Jon.
“Well, the part how we are discovered is true. We were performing down by the harbour and Rupert Christie, an independent music producer, was in the crowd one day. But later, we had a separate manager. The part about the pub being bought by the community is not true, but there is a lot of anecdotal stuff that is true. We all felt that the film, and the up-coming sequel, both captured the spirit of the band; the cast do that very well.”
Jon continues, “One interesting fact is that one of our newer band members, Pete Hicks, used to sing in another sea shanty group further up the coast in Boscastle . He cheekily auditioned to be one of the singers in the film, and got in. We were short one weekend and we knew that Pete knew all the songs, so we asked him to come with us. He’s now a permanent member so that’s a proper example of life imitating art.”
Apart from the original movie, which is so beautifully shot in Cornwall with its stunning scenery, the story of Fisherman’s Friends has now inspired a soon to be released sequel, as well as a new musical for the theatre, which is currently playing at Hall For Cornwall.
The band’s debut album became the highest selling folk release of all time. These remarkable facts are not lost on the band, who have the aim of sharing the songs of their ancestors; and Cornwall. It is this authenticity which keeps their audiences coming back for more. The film boosted audience numbers hugely, just at a point when the boys felt that interest in the band might be dwindling. With the sequel coming up, Fisherman’s Friends will no doubt be on the road for some time yet.
Over the years, the band’s line up has inevitably changed, with only 4 of the original members remaining. Recent additions Toby and Jason joined from Padstow. They are both instrumentalists with Jason playing the piano accordion, reflecting the tradition of the Obby Otts, a local annual Padstow cultural event where at least 120 accordionists can be found playing.
Jon and the rest of the Fisherman’s Friends are greatly looking forward to re-visiting Southend's Cliffs Pavilion, where they have previously had a fabulous crowd - as only Southend can provide - on their first appearance here and are really looking forward to receiving a similar reception when they visit this week.
There are a few tickets still available (links below) for their Cliffs Pavilion concert on Friday, November 5th. A great evening of songs and stories is certainly assured.
Interview by Andrew Walters
Edit: K Tobin
Britain’s oldest boy band emerge from lockdown and hit the road as The Fisherman’s Friends – combined age 365 (and three-quarters) – announce their ‘Unlocked & Unleashed’ tour for 2021.
Thanks to the small film with a big heart that shares their name, the story of the original Cornish ‘buoy band’ is known around the world – bound by shared experience, for 40 years they have met on the Platt on the harbour in their native Port Isaac to sing the songs of the sea.
“And now we can’t wait to show the rest of the country what they’ve been missing – singing live is in our blood, almost as much as the sea,” says extravagantly moustachioed MC and bass man Jon Cleave.
Starring Daniel Mays, James Purefoy, Tuppence Middleton and Noel Clarke with cameo appearances from the group whose voices also appear on the soundtrack, Fisherman’s Friends took $10 million at the box office and saw the boys perform at the 2019 Cannes film festival as well as sell out another UK tour.
Since last year, despite the best efforts of the global pandemic, the boys have kept fans entertained in lockdown posting weekly songs and poems on their YouTube series ‘Mares Tales & Mackerel Scales’. They also played sell out summer shows at Cornwall’s iconic Minack Theatre and performed at screenings of the film at the Wavelength Drive-In Cinema in Watergate Bay.
This year filming began on Fisherman’s Friends 2 as the boys return to the studio to record a new album, the follow up to the hit soundtrack album Keep Hauling that is well on its way to Gold sales.
Cornwall’s best-known musical export, a decade ago The Fisherman’s Friends were persuaded to sign the million-pound record deal that saw their album Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends go Gold as they became the first ever traditional folk act to land a UK top ten album. Since then they’ve sang at HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, played Glastonbury festival and been honoured with the Good Tradition Award at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They’ve also been the subject of an ITV documentary, released the hit albums One and All (2013), Proper Job (2015) and Sole Mates (2018) and continued to play to tens of thousands of fans at home and abroad.
The Fisherman’s Friends are, lobster fisherman Jeremy Brown; 'author and seller of stripy sailor shirts as well as an ex lifeboatman Jon Cleave; marine engineer John ‘Lefty’ Lethbridge; builder and ex lifeboatman John McDonnell (a Yorkshireman who visited Port Isaac more than 30 years ago and never left); Padstow fisherman and ex lifeboatman Jason Nicholas; film maker Toby Lobb; newcomer, actor and castaway from the film Pete Hicks.
https://thefishermansfriends.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fishermansfriends/
https://twitter.com/fishy_friends
Tickets www.southendtheatres.org.uk
Thanks to the small film with a big heart that shares their name, the story of the original Cornish ‘buoy band’ is known around the world – bound by shared experience, for 40 years they have met on the Platt on the harbour in their native Port Isaac to sing the songs of the sea.
“And now we can’t wait to show the rest of the country what they’ve been missing – singing live is in our blood, almost as much as the sea,” says extravagantly moustachioed MC and bass man Jon Cleave.
Starring Daniel Mays, James Purefoy, Tuppence Middleton and Noel Clarke with cameo appearances from the group whose voices also appear on the soundtrack, Fisherman’s Friends took $10 million at the box office and saw the boys perform at the 2019 Cannes film festival as well as sell out another UK tour.
Since last year, despite the best efforts of the global pandemic, the boys have kept fans entertained in lockdown posting weekly songs and poems on their YouTube series ‘Mares Tales & Mackerel Scales’. They also played sell out summer shows at Cornwall’s iconic Minack Theatre and performed at screenings of the film at the Wavelength Drive-In Cinema in Watergate Bay.
This year filming began on Fisherman’s Friends 2 as the boys return to the studio to record a new album, the follow up to the hit soundtrack album Keep Hauling that is well on its way to Gold sales.
Cornwall’s best-known musical export, a decade ago The Fisherman’s Friends were persuaded to sign the million-pound record deal that saw their album Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends go Gold as they became the first ever traditional folk act to land a UK top ten album. Since then they’ve sang at HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, played Glastonbury festival and been honoured with the Good Tradition Award at the prestigious BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. They’ve also been the subject of an ITV documentary, released the hit albums One and All (2013), Proper Job (2015) and Sole Mates (2018) and continued to play to tens of thousands of fans at home and abroad.
The Fisherman’s Friends are, lobster fisherman Jeremy Brown; 'author and seller of stripy sailor shirts as well as an ex lifeboatman Jon Cleave; marine engineer John ‘Lefty’ Lethbridge; builder and ex lifeboatman John McDonnell (a Yorkshireman who visited Port Isaac more than 30 years ago and never left); Padstow fisherman and ex lifeboatman Jason Nicholas; film maker Toby Lobb; newcomer, actor and castaway from the film Pete Hicks.
https://thefishermansfriends.com/
https://www.facebook.com/fishermansfriends/
https://twitter.com/fishy_friends
Tickets www.southendtheatres.org.uk