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Bity Booker is an Italian/Australian folk singer-songwriter and visual artist who lives in South London. She is a lover of nature, animals and folklore. Her work is inspired by the weird and wonderful quirky stories in our world and her deep and curious imagination. Bity grew up in an artistic family in the countryside in Umbria, she graduated from Art School in Italy and lived between Italy, Australia and England. She has had an eclectic musical journey, in her teens she became involved in the heavy metal underground scene and sang in metal bands, alongside writing her own original material with classical guitar and voice. She also sang in choirs in Italy and Australia while studying ethnomusicology and anthropology. Musically, she is inspired by the distinctive voices of John Jacob Niles, Malvina Reynolds, Vashti Bunyan, The Incredible String Band, Connie Converse, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Molly Drake but also traditional folk music and singers, opera and psychedelia. Bity has developed her own musical and visual world, she has a distinctive and bewitching voice, her songs are melodically addictive, rich of storytelling which captivates and draws in her audience for more. She releases music on her own DIY music label, FreakFolk Records, and has illustrated three original song books.
Bity's latest EP 'Dreaming in the Morning' (5 March 2022) was recorded in 2021 at home on a tape machine, the songs are a dreamy ode to nature, about that instant when alone with your mind in the woods, you become one with the trees and the birds and everything seems to fall into place, quietly.
*Bity is pronounced 'Beatie', short for Beatrice.
Photo by Fanny Beckman |
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'The Crow is a whimsical, atmospheric journey into a shadowy fairytale world of talking crows and people of the night. It's magical, mysterious, and slightly unsettling, and that's what makes it so wonderful.'
The Devil Has The Best Tuna February 2024
'Her voice is ethereal, reminiscent of Malvina Reynolds...The title track in particular feels like sitting at the foot of a tree surrounded by lichen and mushrooms and the smell of loam.'
'A gorgeous, wide eyed and utterly charming EP.'
Beats To The Bar March 2022
'The songs on Dreaming In The Morning are as soft, gentle and contemplative as anything you'll ever hear-and I DO mean ever.'
At The Barrier March 2022
'Both her art work and songs seem like love letters to a simple yet profound, mystical sensibility last seen in the wild in the early seventies.
Which means the four songs of Dreaming in the Morning conjure mental images from a lost world, with some of the most vivid colours coming from your own memory.'
From the Margins: About
Songs from a World Turned Upside Down February 2022
'Sonically, we have a wonderfully plucked acoustic guitar and Bity Booker's voice.
It's pared down, but beautiful like Simon and Garfunkel meets Kate Bush with added
Georges Mèliés in the visuals.'
Phonotonal January 2022
'The connection she had with the audience made her performance one of
the highlights of the evening.' Elinor Jones, The Mechanics’ Institute Review 'The vibes on this EP are that of the subtle strains of the psychedelic that can be felt as the sun warms a
pastoral landscape, driving away the morning mist from the fields and hollows.' The Modern Folk of America 'Extraordinary, the one, the only Bity Booker. She is a truly magical singer and guitar player, with
a great personality and some brilliant self-penned songs.' Mondegreen Folk Club, London 'Bity Booker has a hypnotic playing style and bewitching voice that will leave you entranced.'
Chandelier Room Melbourne, Australia 'Vashti Bunyan meets Joanna Newson in an excellently original melting pot of folk roots and
psychedelic whimsy.' Goldmine Social Club, London 'Alt-folk with an healthy dash of quirk, there is a little bit of Joan Baez hiding in there, and
maybe also some Ane Brun and Edie Brickwell.' Chris Karousel Music, London |
