Les Marins D'Iroise

Hailing from Brest, the 31-piece vocal ensemble Les Marins d'Iroise functions as France's counterpart to Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends by restoring traditional sea shanties and nautical folk songs to the domestic charts. The choir originated at the Brest Maritime Festival in 1992 and, with only five members being genuine sailors, spent the following twenty years appearing at assorted gatherings nationwide before Universal took notice in 2010 while scouting another set of improbable pop acts in the wake of Les Prêtres and the Benedictine Nuns of Notre-Dame. Jon Kelly, whose credits include Paul McCartney and Kate Bush, produced the self-titled debut album, which delivered fervent takes on classic folk pieces such as "Le 31 du Mois d'Aout," "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean," and "Sur la Route de San Francisco" alongside updated versions of material by Tri Yann ("La Complainte de Louis-Marie Jossic"), Jacques Brel ("Amsterdam"), and Michel Tonnerre ("Le Quatre-Mats Barque").