Using a very special violin, acclaimed violinist/songwriter Georgia Shackleton celebrates the 125th anniversary of a distinguished relative’s voyage of discovery. From the Floorboards is a journal of historical achievement, tales of endurance and the lure of the sea.
A SPECIAL VIOLIN
Whether she’s alone, whether she’s fronting The Shackleton Trio, or whether she’s beavering away alongside friends Christina Alden and Alex Patterson in Norfolk folk ‘supergroup,’ Kitewing, it’s always good to hear from Georgia Shackleton. And, right now, the acclaimed violinist/songwriter, Georgia, has something very special indeed to share with us all.
You might not be aware, but Georgia is a distant relative of Sir Ernest Shackleton, the Arctic explorer who accompanied Robert Falcon Scott on the RSS Discovery expedition to the South Pole. 2026 marks the 125th anniversary of that expedition and Georgia’s new album, From the Floorboards, is a celebration of that anniversary.
At the heart of the album is the Shackleton Violin, crafted by conservationist and luthier Steve Burnett from the floorboards of Sir Ernest’s former Edinburgh home. Built as a time capsule in honour of polar explorers, the violin’s resonant tones provided the inspiration for this project. All the music for the album was composed and compiled during two residences that Georgia and her co-conspirators took on the coast of Scotland. Inspired by the sea and the coastal landscapes, the tunes and songs were then recorded on board Shackleton’s vessel, the historic RSS Discovery – now the centrepiece of the Discovery Point Maritime Museum in Dundee.
THE CALL OF THE SEA
The album is a blend of Georgia’s own songs and tunes with songs written by Sir Ernest and his crewmates aboard the relief vessel, The Morning, to which they transferred after the Discovery became icebound in March 1902. From the Floorboards brings those adventures vividly to life and recreates the seascapes of Scotland, eastern England and the Antarctic with chilling precision.
Written on The Shackleton Violin, the album’s title track provides a bright, fresh opening salvo. Georgia’s violin and Aaren Bennett’s guitar shadow each other as they set a blistering pace; it’s just the thing to get this landmark album up and running. Inspired by a passage in Katherine Rundell’s 2023 book, The Golden Mole, The Seahorse is the second of the two singles to precede the release of the album. The song is a celebration of what Georgia describes as: “…one of the ocean’s most delicate and enchanting creatures” and the song is every bit as charming as its subject. Georgia’s lyrics: “Hitching a ride, on seaweed you glide – race with the tide, my magical bride” are accompanied by plucked strings and Nic Zuppardi’s mandolin, and Chrisina Alden’s harmony vocals add a special warmth.
Sir Ernest Shackleton never could resist the call of the sea and that spirit of restlessness is celebrated in Sea Legs. The accompaniment is, once again, pared right back, giving acres of space to Georgia’s crystal-clear vocals. “These sea legs will never find peace on land,” she sings, in an engaging song that fades slowly as we imagine Shackleton’s ship disappearing over a distant horizon.
PERILOUS ADVENTURES AT SEA
Originally titled Scotland Forever, Engineer and the Doctorman is a song written by Sir Ernest and his fellow adventurer, Gerald Doorly. The song recalls an imagined dialogue between two of Shackleton’s shipmates aboard The Morning and Georgia delivers the quickfire, lighthearted, lyrics whilst adding a few flurries of violin to Aaren’s fingerpicked guitar.
Those aforementioned periods of residence in Scotland certainly provided the inspiration intended, as Georgia demonstrates with Oystercatchers/ Down to the Rockpool. They’re a pair of sprightly tunes that she came up with at her seaside cottage. There’s a real traditional feel to the tunes; Nic Cooke’s melodeon adds a dash of spice to Georgia’s violin and Aaren’s guitar to produce a full-sounding foot-tapper.
John Morrison, one of the Scottish shipmates featured in Engineer and the Doctorman, provided the lyrics to the sad, atmospheric, Southward. Morrison’s words lament the isolation and loneliness he felt, trapped on board his ship, thousands of miles from his home and his loved ones. Georgia captures those emotions in her vocal tones and Nic’s melodeon drone reflects the relentlessness of the voyage. We stick with the subject of isolation at sea for the medley Elephant Island/ Safe Harbour. Elephant Island is a tune inspired by one of Sir Ernest’s more perilous adventures – a crossing of the rough, freezing Antarctic Ocean in a lifeboat. The tune builds slowly and dramatically, with Georgia replicating the changing moods of the sea on her violin. Relef arrives in the form of Safe Harbour, a happy jig that celebrates the end of the lifeboat ordeal.
STRANDED WHALES
It seems that John Morrison was something of a prolific lyricist – he also came up with the words for The Ice King, the song that became the album’s lead single. Morrison’s lyrics describe the monotony and desperation endured on the icebound Discovery with Georgia’s tune providing a happy, bright contrast.
Georgia turns her attention to matters closer to home for the excellent Band of Mothers. The song recalls the events of January 2016, when four sperm whales became stranded along England’s east coast. Written from the viewpoint of one of the whales, Georgia’s lyrics are flecked with sarcasm and mild anger and, once again, the pared-back accompaniment is just right. And – the song’s abrupt ending is a shock, but it’s fully justified…
Norfolk’s ongoing coastal erosion provides the subject matter for the engaging Happisburgh Tide. Georgia’s harmonium drone sets the ominous backdrop, whilst her probing, searching violin replicates the unpredictability of the ocean’s tides. There’s only a few lyrics, but they’re blunt, and they go straight to the point.
EXPLORERS WITH WET NOSES
East Nuek was the first tune that Georgia came up with on The Shackleton Violin, as she settled into her seaside accommodation during her first period of Scottish residence. It’s another tune on which guitar and violin track each other, as a gentle start develops into a frothy frenzy.
From the Floorboards is brought to its conclusion with the charming Footprints in the Snow. The song is a tribute to the dogs that accompanied the great polar expeditions, providing moral support and loyal companionship to the explorers, as well offering a means of transportation. Lyrics like: “We’re the chosen ones, Explorers on four legs, with wet noses,” turn up the charm quotient as Aaren supplies the song’s relentless backing theme. Georgia adds a few plaintive tones on her violin and the story is completed by more excellent backing harmonies from Christina. It’s an atmospheric and tender way to close an intriguing album.
Watch the official video to The Ice King – the album’s lead single – below:
Georgia Shackleton: Official Website