The Bookshop Band

The Bookshop Band

The Bookshop Band is a UK folk group formed in 2010 by songwriter friends Poppy Pitt, Ben Please and Bethany Porter. It begins as a collaboration with the independent bookshop Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights in Bath, where the band writes and performs songs for author events. Each song is written specially for a particular event and takes its inspiration from the work of the visiting author.

Background and members

The group is active from 2010 to the present. Its members are Poppy Pitt, Ben Please and Bethany Porter. Ben Please is also part of the indie-folk band Urusen, which records with producer Steve Osborne. Poppy Pitt works as an artist and sculptor and also tours with her own band, Poppy and Friends. Bethany Porter has played with Peter Gabriel, tours with Eliza Carthy and records for Newton Faulkner, The Unthanks and Maximo Park.

Work and collaborations

Since its first event in September 2010, the band has written 49 songs inspired by 29 books. It also releases a box set containing four albums of songs written in its first year. The trio takes its show on tour to independent bookshops and festivals, and its work reaches radio and television, including Tom Robinson’s Introducing on BBC 6Music, BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and BBC1 News.

The band also works with animator and director Michael Please on film projects, including the BAFTA-winning short animation The Eagleman Stag.