A DAY-long celebration of all things Jollyboat takes place this weekend, as fans of the musical comedy duo meet up for the first ever ‘Jollycon’.

What started as a joke has turned into a mini festival they are describing as “a pirate party for kidults” that is bringing together people from across the country.

Taking place at Liverpool’s Nordic Church and 24 Kitchen Street on Saturday (June 16), it marks the start of what is turning out to be a busy summer for the double act of Tommy and Ed Jolly.

The brothers have been performing as Jollyboat for nearly a decade, picking up a Musical Theatre Award along the way and even, apparently, their own tribute band (read on). The coming months will see them head off on their first solo tour and return to their regular stomping ground of the Edinburgh Fringe with not one, but two shows (including the gloriously named ‘Why Do Nerds Suddenly Appear?’). “We’re working so hard right now, but it’s some of the most rewarding stuff we’ve done,” says Tommy.

Jollycon was an idea that originally came from their online fan base, the Jollyboat Crew, members of which have already started meeting up in real life. This involved, Tommy explains, “invading a Waterstones pirate day with 15 adults in full costume.”

Wait. What?

“We coloured in maps, did a bit of storytelling and then had a picnic in the park. What’s really heartwarming is the friendships that came out of that afternoon and have only grown stronger since. Sometimes it feels like we’re not a comedy act any more, we’re more like a community hub. For pirates.”

Biensûr. And so to Jollycon, which turned into a full day of activities and an evening gig they say is a mashup of fan convention, tiny fringe festival and house party – with a focus on interactive shows and boardgames, and singalongs in pirate costume. There will even be a brunch meet up the following day. (The event is aimed at adults, so is not necessarily recommended for kids.)

“We just want everyone to have a nice time, and to bring people together,” says Tommy. “We’re not thinking too much about money with this one. We’re hoping to make it an annual thing, possibly moving around the country.”

In a meta twist, Jollyboat now have their own tribute band, MerryFerry, who are headlining Jollycon; “two piratical Spaniards who saw us at Benicassim festival 4 or 5 years ago, and have since put together a bizarre but incredible band,” they claim – although if you believe that, you’ll believe anything…

Tommy and Ed are originally from Hebden Bridge, and moved to Liverpool when Ed came to study at LIPA. They started performing professionally as Jollyboat and eventually, moved to London for a few years to work on raising their profile. “It was fantastic for us — it bumped our career up a level or two, got us regularly headlining comedy clubs and also introduced us to geek conventions and a wider fanbase. After about two years it plateaued, and we missed Liverpool’s small and integrated creative community,” says Tommy. So they returned to the city (hooray!), which they now say is a perfect base for what they do.

There’ll be plenty of new material for fans this year and the boys say surprising their audience with the unexpected is one of the joys of performing; but for Jollyboat, the oldies are still goodies. Tommy still loves their trademark Pirate Pop Songs and Ed never tires of their witty keyboard love song. “I love the songs with a bit more depth to them – I love the playing the keyboard love song for the glimpses of emotion, and I love the new song ‘Pick and Mix’ for the same reason,” he says. “My favourite comedy songs are fast and funny, but with surprising emotional bits that catch you off guard.” (Ed will be showcasing some of his non-comedy songs at Jollycon, too.)

So after years of hard work, it seems like this year things have really clicked into place for Liverpool’s own swashbuckling musical comedy heroes – and what’s not to love?

“Jollyboat was and still is something we do for fun more than anything,” says Tommy. “We put our energy into making fun experiences for people, making fans into friends, and getting the word out.”

Daytime and evening-only tickets are still available for Jollycon, here.