Review: Tit Swingers

Why aren’t there more sea shanties about women? This question, posed at the top of Tit Swingers, forms the basis of a wild ride of a show exploring polyamorous queer pirates Anne Bonney and Mary Read.

The pair, plus co-Captain Calico Jack on drums, wield guitar, bass, ukulele and keys variously as they barrel through a tale of childhood trauma, seafaring drag and hot girl pirate shit through the lens of a gig musical.

As befits piracy and punk, Tit Swingers is chaotic, crass and confusing. Sam Kearney-Edwardes as Bonney is full of it: swaggering and sweary, while Abey Bradbury, playing Read, is seductive as her more mysterious partner. Max Kinder’s Calico Jack is a fun, (not quite) straight man.

As anarchy rightfully reigns, it’s sometimes difficult to make out the story the trio are telling. The scuzzy guitars and shouty vocals are atmospherically sound, but with a lot of information packed into fast songs, style often wins out over sense.

It doesn’t really matter, though, because what would you expect from a pirate-fronted punk gig? The show is rowdy, the story is fascinating, and the pirates are queer. It’s a really good time.