The band was started in 2008 by Björn Malmros and Peter Mollwing, who gathered several other musicians with the idea of playing pirate folk music. They are based in Umeå, located in the North of Sweden. Today, the band has nearly 30 members.
Their first self-produced album, Songs and Curses, was released on 19 September 2012 for the International Talk Like a Pirate Day. They have released 5 albums in total, including Christmas special album titled A Pirate Stole My Christmas in 2021 which featured classics of the festival with a new pirate spin to themYe Banished Privateers takes you 300 years back in time for an imaginary journey through the harsh life at sea during the early 18th century. Their songs are inspired by traditional Irish and Scandinavian folk music, and through acting and elaborate historical clothing the Privateers tell a story about the hard life of pirates and sailor in general.
Together, the band members take turns to go on tour and plunder, and with around a dozen sailors on stage no two shows are ever the same. The mix of rude folk and punk music invites you to dance and sing along, while the gripping ballads will make the toughest pirate heart soft.
- 2012 – Songs and Curses
- 2014 – The Legend of Libertalia (Totentanz Records)
- 2017 – First Night Back in Port (Napalm Records)
- 2020 – Hostis Humani Generis (Napalm Records)
- 2021 – A Pirate Stole my Christmas (Napalm Records)