The Silver Darlings

Formed in 2017, The Silver Darlings began after Captain Darling had a thought… “Can women sing shanties?”  The answer is most definitely, YES!

Our debut album Maiden Voyage, released September 2021, was very well received, obtaining a four-star review in Folk London Magazine.  In May 2025 we released our second album Whaling Women which is already making waves in the shanty scene! Both can be purchased from Bandcamp.

Our hometown of Southend-on-Sea in Essex is steeped in fishing and cockling industries, which has drawn us naturally to sea shanties, the sailors’ working songs. We love the storytelling aspect of shanty-singing, and we are passionately committed to ensuring that these songs remain in the public domain and not lost at sea!

Reviews of Whaling Women (2025)
“Lady shanty singers really belting it out as good as any shanty group anywhere” – Gary Hazlehurst

“The women’s voices are all crystal clear, and their harmonies are impressive. Their personalities really shine through in The Maid of Amsterdam, and their souls carry in Shallow Brown. This is a great addition to anyone’s maritime music library.” – Dean Calin