A poor weather forecast and a damp start to the evening were not enough to spoil the evening performance at Villelongue d'Aude on 19 October 2017. A crew of 8 current shantymen were on hand to ensure that the brave audience were entertained to a full evening demonstrating the large range of songs from the group's portfolio, including the first public airing of some new numbers.
To mark Ian "Magellan" Murphy's role in the early development of the group, the concert were treated to a reminder of the group's original line-up with atmospheric renditions of the signatures Mingulay and South Australia.
The main song list included, amongst many others, an ancient version of Scarborough Fair, a fall-about story of a Pirate losing various body parts, and Fiddlers Green (the heaven for good fishermen) as a special epitaph.
The evening was attended free of charge but a collection was made on behalf of the French lifeboat service, the SNSM, in accordance with the wishes of Magellan's widow Annie. Including a generous contribution form Bart the landlord of the Verre a Soif, a total of € 400 will be presented to the local station.
