Beth Porter and Ben Please, otherwise known as ‘The Bookshop Band’ captivated an audience with their performance on Saturday night, the first event to be held by the new community organisation ‘Arts for Hungerford’. The duo write songs inspired by books, and are currently on tour, having played at festivals, bookshops and the V&A. They were returning to Hungerford after playing at the town’s literary festival with novelist Rachel Joyce in 2014. The band’s beautiful, inventive, and often profoundly touching tunes spirited the audience away, or set toes tapping. Guests sat round candle-lit tables enjoying a drink from the bar as they listened to the songs. The interval provided a few moments to discuss the music, chat with friends, browse books that the band had played, or purchase their CDs. There was even a literary quiz. It really was a most memorable evening. Nicola Chester who came to the event tweeted “Literary loveliness & dreamy harmonies in an atmospheric setting. Magical.”
artsforhungerford.com 