Batten down the hatches and tighten up your bottom end, because US yacht rock sensation Yachtley Crew are bringing their Seas The Night tour to the UK for the very first time, with a debut London show at the O2 Academy Islington on Tuesday July 7, 2026.
Not your typical RAMzine fare, but we’re not going to pretend we don’t love a good time, and Yachtley Crew are the absolute kings of good-time music. Since bursting onto the SoCal club scene in 2017, the nautical-suited, captain’s hat-clad seven-piece have sold out venues across the US, sparked a nationwide yacht rock resurgence and even caught the eye of the legendary Jimmy Buffett, who signed them to his Mailboat label ahead of their partnership with Earache/Universal Records.
For the uninitiated, yacht rock encapsulates the revival of soft rock and Top 40 hits from the late 70s to the early 80s, and it has become an undisputed phenomenon, inspiring fans to dress the part and sing along. Think Boz Scaggs, Christopher Cross, the Bee Gees and Robbie Dupree, performed with absolute conviction and ridiculous amounts of fun.
The lineup features drummer Rob Jones (Sailor Hawkins), bassist Chaz Ruiz (Baba Buoy), guitarist Thomas Gardner Jr. (Tommy Buoy), backing vocalist Curt Clendenin (Stoney Shores), saxophone and flutist Paul Pate (Pauly Shores), keyboardist Matt Grossman (Matthew McDonald) and new lead vocalist Ian Ward (Captain Ian). Ward joins with a seriously impressive CV spanning Broadway, television and international performance, including Rock Of Ages, RENT, American Idiot and Jesus Christ Superstar at The Hollywood Bowl alongside Cynthia Erivo and Adam Lambert.
The group are managed by longtime industry icon Andy Gould, whose roster has included Rob Zombie, Pantera, Lionel Richie and Guns N’ Roses. They’ve appeared on HBO’s Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary, Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live, and were the first ever yacht rock band to perform live at the SiriusXM satellite radio studio.
Tickets are on sale now via MyTicket.
Date: Tue 7 Jul: O2 Academy Islington, London
