The Bookshop Band

Join us for an evening of songs inspired by books, beautifully written and performed by the Bookshop Band. Doors 6:45 (the venue is not licenced so please bring your own refreshments) “The band are great! If I had a bookshop I’d stock all their albums.” Margaret Atwood “Not just good but achingly good” The New York Times “It’s a modern day Twinkle meets fairytale-land for adults. You’ll be smitten.” BBC 6Music The award winning Bookshop Band came to life as an artistic collaboration with their local bookshop Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in 2010. They write and perform songs inspired by books and released 13 book-inspired albums sharing a stage with over 150 authors, including Philip Pullman, Margaret Atwood and Robert Macfarlane. This summer they will be releasing their 14th studio album EMERGE, RETURN produced by and featuring Pete Townshend, supported with a full UK tour. “I am enchanted, such variation and delicacy… such latent power, really great work. It reminded me of my days listening to Sandy Denny and Fairport [Convention] and The Incredible String Band… – a great discovery and inspiration.” Pete Townshend Between them Ben Please and Beth Porter (Lost Wordds Spell Songs) bring the books to the stage along with a multitude of instruments, including cello, harmonium, glockenspiel, guitars and ukuleles which, along with their distinct voices, create a cinematic sound that draws the audience right in to a highly intimate performance, at once touching and mesmerizing, heart wrenching and funny. No previous knowledge of the books is required as the band guide the audience through the stories behind each song’s inspiration. They are equally at stage on a festival main stage as they are in a bookshop, having toured the UK, Europe and North America many times. Their work has been recognised with nominations from the Ivor Novello Awards, the Oscars and BAFTA’s.