My Cornish World: Musician Will Keating

Will performing at the Alverton, Truro

M Y CORNISH WORLD M Y CORNISH WORLD

Will performing with John Dowling at the Minack Theatre

Tell us about your childhood People assume I’m Cornish, but I actually grew up in Somerset! I joined the Royal Navy at 16, and spent six years at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint. Rugby was my thing, and joining up was one way of playing professionally – until I snapped my anterior cruciate ligament at the age of 21. These days, my participation is limited to warming up the crowd at all the Pirates’ matches.

Where do you live now? I returned to Cornwall 14 years ago, by which time I was married with newborn twins and two foster children. All my life had been spent by, on or under the sea. Friends emigrated to far-flung places like Australia, but as foster parents we couldn’t do that, so we settled in Falmouth. I knew about Cornwall’s maritime heritage, but not its culture - that was a bit of an eyeopener. I started working for Skinners Brewery - a job made in heaven for me – and that’s how I met The Oggymen. I’ve sung with them ever since. It's more like a group of friends – a hobby rather than a job.

What kind of repertoire do they perform? The kind of songs that have been sung in Cornish popular culture for hundreds of years. Think Lamorna, Lil Lize and Trelawny. But the song that drew me in was Cornwall My Home by Harry ‘Safari’ Glasson. Even though I’m not Cornish, it’s like an arrow through the heart for me. I later discovered that Harry had written lots of songs commenting on Cornish history, and I’ve performed many of them in my solo show. I love their simplicity. They are ideal for engaging young children; on April 23, I'll perform at the Roseland Festival with pupils from St Mawes primary school. What inspired you to start performing solo? I’d always wanted to have a go, but was held back by what other people might think. What moved me to actually do it was when my foster son took his own life at the age of 19 - nothing could hurt me as much as that did. So I went for it, and did 85 gigs in that first year – I knew a lot of people who had pubs! Harry Glasson had toured for 30 years and put me in touch with venues. He was a huge support and mentor to me during that time; we became great friends, and in May I’m going to a garden party at Buckingham Palace as his plus-one.

How did you keep performing during lockdown? The Voices of the Borough Facebook group was launched to encourage people to sing Cornwall My Home on Thursdays, after the Clap For Carers. They asked to play my version for people to sing along to; I went one better, and live streamed it alongside my four daughters! It went out to around 16,000 people, and I was getting messages from around the world. At gigs, people still tell me how much it meant to them.

Why do you think music is such a key part of Cornish culture? Celtic nations have music as their bedrock. You can see it in Irish and Welsh culture too. They play it to express emotion, be it sadness or joy, and to bring people together. It’s good for the soul, and it’s important to keep it alive. With the male voice choir population ageing, we must think about how these songs will continue to be heard. Thankfully, there has been a massive resurgence in young people singing them – I performed at the Chainlocker on St Piran’s Day, and it was as busy as New Year’s Eve. You have a new album coming out in September Yes, I’m launching a Crowdfunder in May to pay for it. It will include traditional and contemporary songs, and some of my own compositions. During lockdown, I learned more about a poet called John Harris; some of his words are on a slab in Gylly gardens. I turned two of his poems into songs. I’ve also written two in Kernewek, with the help of the Cornish language department at Cornwall Council.

What else do you have planned for 2022? It’s looking busy! I’ve been booked to sing at low tide on Tresco on Easter Monday, and am in discussions about performing in the RNLI garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May. In June, The Oggymen are singing at Tunes in the Dunes in Perranporth and the International Sea Shanty Festival in Falmouth, then at the Minack on August 16 – that gig sold out within a week. In February, I did a candlelight tour of village churches with banjo player John Dowling. It was a huge success and we’re going to tour new repertoire in November. I’m also hoping to join a residential course in June to improve my skills in Kernewek.

Where is your favourite place in Cornwall? My home – Falmouth. This morning, I went for a swim in the sea at Gyllyngvase beach. My wife and I like to go out for breakfast when the kids are at school – Indidog and Windjammer are our favourites, and it has to be a full Cornish for me, with hog’s pudding. l For more further performance dates, visit willkeatingcornwall.com

Kernow Art Collective takes over the courtyard buildings of the historic Boconnoc Estate from April 15 to 17, offering a window into contemporary art made in Cornwall across a variety of media, from a selection of artists both seasoned and new. Pictured: Clay Tip Country by Sara Owens. Find Kernow Art Collective on Facebook.

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