The Bookshop Band has announced an 18-date Magical Summer Tour, featuring brand new music inspired by the writing of Robert Macfarlane plus tracks from their latest album.
Based in Wigtown but originating in Bath, the Ivor-Novello nominated duo specialise in using both contemporary and classical literature to inspire their songwriting.
Audiences will be among the first to hear Ben Please and Beth Porter’s most recent songs, including one created by special request of Robert Macfarlane for the launch of his new book Is a River Alive? They will also be performing music from Emerge, Return – their 2024 album which was produced by rock legend Pete Townshend, who also played on each of the 12 tracks.
Emerge, Return received a ★★★★ review from music magazine MOJO and the Daily Express gave them ★★★★★ for their live performance.
July’s tour got its name following praise for the band’s music for the launch of Is a River Alive.
Robert Macfarlane said: “The Bookshop Band make magic; conjuring words off the page and into song, bringing books to strange, new lyric life, singing their ways into collaboration with writers’ voices and visions in ways that are thrilling and original.”
Penguin Books added that that “The music was magical”.
The tour takes place in art centres, book shops and other intimate venues from Glasgow to Devon.
They have just written and performed the music for the new audiobook adaptation of Philip Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials. Meanwhile Beth has been performing as part of the Spell Songs ensemble which grew out of two other Robert Macfarlane books – The Lost Words and The Lost Spells.
During this summer’s tour there will be the chance to get a sneak preview of an EP they have produced inspired by the counterculture Oz magazine of the late 1960s. The EP will be fully launched after the tour in the autumn.
The band has worked with many celebrated authors with best-sellers such as Kate Mosse (The Ghost Ship) asking them to write songs for their book launches.
They have previously recorded 13 albums, which have been sold at gigs and online. Emerge, Return was their first wider, commercial release.