By: Jessica Hatchett
Photo Courtesy of The Longest Johns
Q) The Longest Johns began around a kitchen table in Bristol back in 2012 and are often described as folk meets shanty music, but how would you describe your sound?
A) Our sound has definitely developed since the early days. We began entirely acapella and singing traditional folk and shanty music, but steadily introduced more instruments and our own writing and personality into it until we reached what we sound like today. It is still firmly rooted in the folk and shanty tradition, but with rockier edges and some sprinklings of silliness.
Q) Your previous album Voyage was fan-funded and accompanied by a book of stories, artwork and lyrics. What lessons from that project influenced the making of Ends of the Earth?
A) One of the biggest lessons was to keep making things that we love and want to share with people first and foremost. All of the ideas come from things that excite us, and the more authentic that is, the more our fans appreciate it, too.
Q) Did the success of Voyage create any pressure when approaching a follow-up album?
A) There’s always some level of pressure, but we’ve never been a band that’s driven by numbers. There are many other more accessible styles of music we could have chosen if that was the case! But we just want to make music that we love and hope people come with us on that journey.
Q) Ends of the Earth explores themes ranging from eighteenth-century crime to American folklore and monsters. What inspired this concept?
A) Interestingly, this was the first album that we decided on the artwork before we knew what a lot of the songs were going to be. We kind of used it as a bit of a muse to help the songwriting process and those are the directions that we felt inspired – whether it be travelling to distant unknown lands, mythological creatures or waking up from a confusing night out…
Q) I absolutely love the video for “What Did I Do?” Where did the idea for – among other things – a banana outfit come from?
A) Very glad you enjoyed the video so much! We decided to take the video down the route of us all waking up from some form of party or stag do and not fully understanding how we ended up where we were or how we got there. We raided family members’ clothes and a costume shop for everything we wore and it all spoke to us in the moment!
Q) Why did you choose the title “Ends of the Earth” and what does it mean to you, both literally and metaphorically?
A) The song, “Ends of the Earth,” was about the gruelling journey to Australia and New Zealand migrants used to take in the earlier days of colonisation. So, with the inspiration of the artwork and the idea of uncovering this mysterious and wondrous new land, it felt fitting for it to carry the name of the entire album as well.
Q) With the exception of “Hey John Barleycorn” and “Jolly Roving Tar,” the album’s tracks are original compositions. How did the decision to include so many original songs come about?
A) It was due to a number of reasons to be fair. For our major releases, we’ve always tried to include a decent number of original songs. But this one was released off the back of a twenty-four track album from the previous year that was entirely traditional music. This gave more of an opportunity for us to write and include more original compositions as a contrast and it’s something we’ve always wanted to be able to do as well.
Q) What do you hope listeners take away after hearing Ends of the Earth from start to finish?
A) We very much hope they enjoy the journey that the album takes them on. Hopefully, they feel some of the mystery and wonder, as well as the excitement of discovery and adventure.
Q) Which songs from Ends of the Earth are you most excited to perform live and why?
A) There are so many that feel wonderful with a live audience! I think a personal favorite of all of us would be “The Mothman,” as it’s a really fun song overall, great to play and great to sing along and dance to as well! It’s also the right amount of silly for all of us as well.
Q) Aside from music, you regularly stream videos of you gaming on the channel LongestJohnsGaming. What made you want to show this side of yourselves and interact with fans?
A) It all came about from just wanting to share more of our own personal interests. The band, in no small part, has some strong roots in gaming as before we started singing we were regularly playing games together. It felt like a very natural way for us to express ourselves in something we already enjoyed that our fans would also be able to engage with.
Q) Your enthusiasm for gaming means you had the opportunity to perform your song “Face the World” at the 2025 Pokémon Europe International Championships. What was that experience like?
A) That was a crazy and wonderful experience! The team at the event were a delight to meet and be around and incredibly good at their jobs. We all went a little crazy in the pokemart store whilst we were there admittedly, too… but being able to mesh our love of music and Pokemon in that way was really special. And it was an incredibly cool event to attend and experience in person, too.
Q) Who are some artists you would love to collaborate with on music in the future?
A) There are so many for many different reasons and each member would have lots of personal ideas of who they’d love to work with as well. I think we’d all agree on some such as Mumford & Sons, Frank Turner, Dropkick Murphys, etc… but there are many in the traditional folk and shanty world that we would be honoured to sing with as well.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) Thank you for being with us on this crazy journey so far! We love getting the opportunity to keep making new folk music and introducing new people to the wonderful world that it is! We hope you keep enjoying what we make and that it leads you to discover even more artists and music in this genre that you fall in love with. And we hope you can find your voice and keep singing yourself, whether it be starting your own group or just belting your heart out as you listen along! Thank you and we can’t wait to see you again soon!