Pressgang Mutiny is back with a fresh, heavy-hitting take on maritime tradition. Their latest release, “Old Mick,” serves as a high-energy preview for their most ambitious album to date, Departure (arriving March 13, 2026). This isn’t just a folk revival; it is an exploration of the shanty as a global, living art form.
The track—and the upcoming album—highlights the historical synthesis of African-American and Afro-Caribbean rhythmic call-and-response with gritty Irish folk vocals. By fusing these archival roots with modern drum machine production and contemporary textures, the group is “stretching the tradition without breaking its spine.”
What Sets This Project Apart
A Modern Synthesis: The project treats the shanty as a living global form rather than a museum piece. The album features collaborations with reggae and dancehall legends like Carl Harvey (Toots and the Maytals) and Sunray Grennan, alongside Toronto hip-hop artist Matt Somber.
Authentic Pedigree: The quartet—Richard Kott, James McKie, Tim Pyron, and Stefan Read—bring a “lived-in credibility.” They are actual tall ship sailors and researchers who have handled lines and sails across the Atlantic, ensuring the music never loses the “salt and sweat” of its origins.
Archival yet Alive: “Old Mick” pulls from capstan and railroad song roots. While the arrangement nods to versions encountered across the ocean, the energy is unmistakably modern—delivered with a hard-hitting North American attitude meant to be sung “shoulder to shoulder.”
What first got you into music?
Richard: Classical music and attending St. Michael’s Choir School — with James, actually.
James: Hearing the Chieftains as a kid and realizing I wanted to do that.
Michael: A deep connection with my Irish heritage.
Stefan: Growing up singing in pubs as part of the morris dancing community in Toronto.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Sea shanties and maritime work songs — but not museum pieces. These songs were never precious. They were functional. Sailors sang them to coordinate hauling ropes and raising anchors, and they borrowed melodies from wherever they’d been — New York, Liverpool, New Orleans, the Caribbean and more. So the tradition was always multicultural and always evolving. We try to honour that by treating the songs the same way the sailors did: take what works, make it yours, keep it alive. On Departure we pushed that further than ever — collaborating with artists from related genres like reggae, hip hop, and dance hall — because those connections aren’t invented, they’re historical. The Caribbean roots of shanties are real and documented, and we went to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to record with George “Tall 12” Fredericks, one of the last living traditional shantymen. That experience changed how we think about everything.
Is there a city or venue that holds special significance to you, and can you share a memorable experience from there?
Castro’s Pub in the east end of Toronto. We performed there a lot when we were starting out and it’s the set for the Roll Boys Roll video. It’s where the band figured out what we could be — not just a novelty act singing old sailor songs, but something that could fill a room and get everyone singing together. There’s a moment in every set where the room just… lifts. You stop performing and start conducting. That’s the feeling we chase everywhere else.
What about your music is rebellious, unconventional, or unusual?
We’re a sea shanty band with a DJ and a rapper on our UK tour. We made a record that puts a capella field recordings next to 21st-century production. We flew to the Caribbean to record with a shantyman in his 70s because we believe the origins of these songs matter more than the TikTok trend that made them briefly famous. The rebellion isn’t in the sound — it’s in taking the tradition seriously enough to follow it where it actually leads, which is way more interesting than where people assume it goes.
What is next for you?
Departure comes out March 13. Third single “Roll Boys Roll” drops with it. Then we’ve got a documentary film in post-production about the Caribbean roots of shanties — filmed in St. Vincent and the Grenadines with traditional singers and sailors. This summer we’re touring the UK for a month: Sidmouth, Whitby Folk Week, FolkEast, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, plus folk clubs and venues across England and Wales. And we’re bringing the full six-piece — four vocalists, DJ Chaotic Vibrance, and MC Matt Somber — so the UK is going to get the full picture of what Departure sounds like live.
What two nonessential items would you want if you were shipwrecked on a deserted island?
A concertina and a bottle of whisky. One to keep our spirits up and the other to lower them. In that order, or maybe reverse — depends on the day.
If you had a time machine, would you travel to the future or back to the past?
The past. No question. We want to stand on the deck of a merchant vessel in 1850 and hear what a real capstan shanty sounded like with forty voices pulling together. We’d also accept being dropped into a dockside pub in Liverpool circa 1870. We’d buy rounds until they let us sing.
What makes you nostalgic?
The sound of a room full of people who don’t know each other singing in unison for the first time. That still gets us every show.
What actor would play you in a movie about your life?
Richard: Brad Pitt, obviously.
James: No idea.
Michael: Zach Galifianakis.
Stefan: I’ve been told I’m like a less good-looking, talented, and rich Ryan Reynolds — so let’s go with that.
What historical figure would you love to see in 21st century life?
Stan Hugill — the man who wrote the bible of shanties, Shanties from the Seven Seas, who we never got to meet. He’d have strong opinions about our arrangements, which we’d secretly love.
About Pressgang Mutiny
Across twelve years together, Pressgang Mutiny has evolved from Toronto pub sessions to headlining major maritime and folk festivals in the UK, Europe, and the Caribbean. Whether they are hosting their ongoing podcast The Shanty Show or leading workshops at Folk Alliance International, they approach the music with equal parts scholarship and swagger.
Following the successful 2025 reissue of their first two records, the group is entering 2026 with international tour dates across Canada and the United Kingdom, marking this as their busiest and most ambitious year yet.
“Old Mick” is out now via Slammin Media. Pre-order Departure and browse exclusive merchandise here
Pressgang Mutiny Live
March 26-28, 2026 – Spring Tide Shanty Fest, St. John, NB
March 29, 2026 – Cuckoo’s Nest Folk Club, London, ON
April 12, 2026 – Departure CD Release,
July 31-August 7, 2026 – Sidmouth Folk Week, Sidmouth, UK
August 15, 2026 – Morecambe Maritime Festival, Morecambe, UK
August 21-23, 2026 – FolkEast, Suffolk, UK
August 24-28, 2026 – Whitby Folk Week, Whitby, UK
August 30-31, 2026 – Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Shrewsbury, UK
Pressgang Mutiny Online
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