Soon May the Wellerman Come (for Brass Quintet) (arr. Seb Skelly)

“Soon May the Wellerman Come” is an old shanty. Its title refers to the so-called ‘wellermen’, the supply ships owned by the English Weller brothers, who emigrated to New Zealand at the beginning of the 19th century. The whalers appearing in this song are hoping that such a ship with provisions like tea, sugar and rum, will soon arrive. In 2020 and 2021, the versions by the British folk group The Longest Johns and the Scottish singer Nathan Evans were huge hits on TikTok, leading to a shanty rage on social media. Arranger Seb Skelly didn’t fail to notice this. He created his own version in a catchy arrangement for brass quintet.