Shantify – Underbelly Boulevard Soho, London

Writer: Emily Wood

Director: Jo Parsons

Musical Directors: Harry Style & Ashley Jacobs

The Barnacle Buoys are a group of six performers making waves in their local town by turning popular songs into sea shanties. Tonight, they have a massive gig at The Port Arms – but will it be plain sailing or a sea-rious failure?

If you’ve seen The Choir of Man, this feels remarkably similar – so much so that it could easily be mistaken for an unofficial spin-off, even with some of the actors having performed in both shows. From the cheeky introductions, the jokey, laddish banter between songs and the punny ways the performers begin each number, the parallels are hard to ignore, eliciting a strong sense of déjà vu. The only real difference is the shantification of the songs, which is done exceptionally well and provides a wonderfully unique spin on some classic sing-along tunes, such as 9 to 5 and Teenage Dirtbag.

The majority of the show focuses on the relationship between the tight-knit group of lads (Cal T King, Alfie French, Michael Risely, Ollie Wray, Joe Bishop, Jack Whittle) and their lives down in their small coastal town. Band aside, the sea is at the centre of each of their lives; two of them are fishermen, one is a chef who relies heavily on the catch of the day, and they all volunteer with the RNLI. The introductions and slight storyline do feel a little forced at points, though. While it’s nice to have a foundation of sorts to house the sea shanties, it does occasionally border on being too cringeworthy. The more genuine moments of the cast having a laugh together and riffing a little more work a lot better and help to personify their characters a lot more than the stilted scripted portions where they talk about their brotherhood or job stresses.

The pacing is curiously executed. The first act runs for 50 minutes, then a 20-minute break, finishing off with a very short 20-minute second half. Having the second half match the overlong interval is an odd choice, and it would definitely work better either by scrapping the interval and running straight through at 70 minutes, or splitting the halves better for a stronger, flowing show. The second act is solely the gig at The Port Arms – and is brilliantly entertaining by focusing completely on the music and shelving the scripted interactions. Requests are taken from the audience that, on the evening reviewed, result in an impressive Beyoncé megamix, alongside pre-arranged routines of Wannabe and Livin’ on a Prayer.

Each of the cast is fabulously talented, and the shantification of the songs is fantastically unique. If you enjoy live music and especially if you are a fan of The Choir of Man, then this is a reely good show that’s definitely worth sea-ing.

Runs until 14 June 2026