Pub manager’s sea shanty goes viral

Steve Fraser, manager of the Mulberry Tree in Stevenage, has become a social media star after a sea shanty he wrote in ode to his beloved pub went viral.

Fraser, who has managed the Greene King pub for three years, created the song while on furlough during England’s third national lockdown.

“I’ve been watching the TikTok sea shanty craze started by Scottish artist Nathan Evans and thought I could write one about the pub life and Covid.

“With pubs closed, us pub managers are not used to sitting at home doing nothing. We like to interact socially, we miss our customers and the atmosphere of a busy pub. There’s a longing to get back to it – and that’s been the inspiration. I also thought it would be a bit of fun,” he said.

Fraser is the lead singer in Hertfordshire-based band The Revivals, which specialises in Britpop, Mod and 60s covers. For the sea shanty, filmed in nostalgic sepia, he recorded four renditions of the song to create layers of sound.

Fraser’s ‘Fun Folk’ pub shanty has already had over 15,000 views on his Facebook page. Greene King is calling on its competitors to take part in a pub shanty challenge as a bit of fun for pub teams who are furloughed while the on-trade remains shuttered.

Greene King was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It currently employs around 40,000 people across its 2,750 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.