I first came across the delightful Bity Booker supporting Green Diesel in Brighton last summer. Describing her as “a London-based alt-folk singer-songwriter with beautiful songs, a sweet voice and some hilariously deadpan introductions” her performance certainly left an impression on me. Now she has an album out, which she refers to as her “first non-debut album”.
Bity Booker: “I call it a ‘non-debut album’ because I have long been making music in different forms, from death metal to alternative folk, so it feels strange calling it a ‘debut album’. It is the product of years of songwriting and performing solo as Bity Booker. I do take my time making things in a way that makes me happy, out of the commercial sphere and outside of norms and rules. I like to think of my creations as something organically formed and shaped by time, dreams, thoughts, rain and wind. These tape recordings feel very much alive, in the background you can hear sounds of birds, people, the sounds of London, all of which were in the room with me while recording.”
Featuring Booker’s magical voice, her classical guitar and nine of her unique and never less than utterly charming compositions, There’s No Song About a Stone was recorded at home on a four-track tape recorder over a three-year period in South London and Thanet.
The natural world is a recurring theme in Booker’s songs or, more accurately, the natural world as a metaphor for human emotions: love, hope, sadness and a sense of belonging. The latter is very much the sentiment behind ‘Parrots in London’, Booker’s delightful paean to the growing population of feral parakeets who have made London their home. The song never fails to raise a smile when performed live, with its knowing nod to one of the capital’s most enduring urban myths (‘Some say they escaped from Jimi Hendrix’s cage’).
It’s certainly not all light and whimsical though and darker themes are explored in songs like ‘The Ballad of Lost Town’ and ‘A Tear’. Whatever the subject matter, Booker’s beguiling honesty as a performer and natural gift as a storyteller shine through.
Released: 5th June 2026 https://www.bitybooker.com/
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