Sweet Baboo

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"His indie-pop odes are distinguished by understated guitar chops and a droll rural vernacular…" – Mojo Magazine

Sweet Baboo is Stephen Black, a native of the North Wales countryside and a single-minded, idiosyncratic, contrary singer-songwriter who possesses an ear for a sparkling melody, a restless soul, and a gift for a deft lyrical turn; from darkly funny to piercingly tender, twinklingly boastful to deliciously self-deprecating. Following the release of his third album, I'm a Dancer/Songs About Sleeping, Black returned in 2011 with his latest EP - Girl Under A Tree.

With myriad influences taking in The Beach Boys, Daniel Johnston and Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, Girl Under A Tree is characterised by tales of girls, loss, adventure and drinking.

Over the last twelve months Sweet Baboo has played at Glastonbury, Latitude, Green Man, SXSW and The Camden Crawl, as well as touring Germany with Johnny Flynn and the UK with Islet. He has also been invited to record sessions for BBC 6 Music's Marc Riley, Huw Stephens and Stuart Maconie. Notably, Black's song How I'd Live My Life (AKA The Bumblebee Song) soundtracked a series of TV spots for the Visit Wales tourist board campaign in 2010.

The Day I Lost My Voice from Sweet Baboo on Vimeo.

Black's productivity is all the more remarkable given his extra-curricular activities, which have seen him working with an ever-growing array of musicians. This year alone Black has played on albums by Cate Le Bon, Slow Club and H. Hawkline, and has been a regular part of the touring line-ups for all three bands. He has also performed with and produced Euros Childs, The Voluntary Butler Scheme and Spencer McGarry Season and collaborated onstage with Gruff Rhys.

Girl Under A Tree was released via Shape Records on 19th Sept 2011 on limited 10” white vinyl / Download.