Sea shanty sensation 'Wellerman' and Bollywood to be celebrated in Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

The Royal Navy helped launch year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at the luxury floating hotel Fingal in Leith Docks. Picture: Ian Georgeson

The sea shanty hit which propelled Scottish singer-songwriter Nathan Evans to fame is to get a starring role in the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Organisers have revealed that the epic whaling song “Wellerman” which is believed to have been born in New Zealand more than 150 years ago, is expected to be a centrepiece of the show which will unfold at Edinburgh Castle esplanade before around 220,000 spectators.

Michael Braithwaite, the New Zealand-born creative director of the event, has chosen the song for what will be his swansong edition of the event.

Nathan Evans shot to fame with his rendition of the 19th century sea shanty 'Wellerman.' Picture: Andreas Rentz/Getty

His third and final programme will also feature “Take My Hand,” one of the best-known songs by the Hebridean rock band Skerryvore, the latest Celtic music to championed by the Tattoo after Mr Braithwaite used songs by Runrig, Skipinnish and Tide Lines in recent years.

Mr Braithwaite, who has appointed in 2021, has overseen a shake-up of the format and programme of the Tattoo, including the introduction of an “electropipes” sequence and more sophisticated projections and lighting affect to accompany the performance on the esplanade.

Other highlights of this year’s show, which is entitled Journeys, are expected to include a celebration of India feature a Rajasthani Bagpipe player, Bhangra dancers and a Bollywood tribute.

American acts lined up include the Citadel Regimental Band and Pipes, from South Carolina and the United States Navy Ceremonial Guard, who are best known for their performances in official ceremonies in and around Washington.

Fireworks from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle at last year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

The massed bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marine will be performing as part of a strong Royal Navy contingency in this year’s show, which will run from 2-24 August.

It emerged earlier that Mr Braithwaite would be bowing out from his role at the end of the 2024 run of the show. His replacement, expected to be announced in the next few weeks, will have a much wider remit as they will be working on “other events of varying shapes and sizes” as well as the main event in Edinburgh each summer as part of a drive to extend the Tattoo’s global reach.

Mr Braithwaite, who was appointed on a three-year contract in 2020 but had to wait until 2022 to oversee his first event due to the Covid pandemic, said: “It was always going to be a three-year thing for me. It felt like a good number of shows to really try new things out and then move on. I like to do lots of different things.

"I’m really excited about where we’ve taken the Tattoo and where we are going to end up this year. It feels like a really good time to go out on a high.

The Royal Navy helped launch year's Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo at the luxury floating hotel Fingal in Leith Docks. Picture: Ian Georgeson

“We’ve incorporated a lot of new technologies over the last couple of years, but we’ve also made better use of them creatively. It’s one thing to hire in a lot of equipment, but it’s another to use it. Each year we’ve become more polished and sharper about how we use the tools in our toolbox.

"The one thing you can never do is please everybody, but you should not try to do that, as you end up pleasing nobody. But I have to say that, broadly speaking, people loved what we’ve done with the show.”

Jason Barrett, who has taken over from Buster Howes as the event’s chief executive, said: “The Tattoo is a world-renowned spectacle and to have a chance to be in the heart of it is truly inspirational.”