Leith has always been a place with grit under its nails and poetry in its bones.

It’s where neighbours still nod to each other on the street, where stories live in the cracks of the pavements and where community spirit refuses to be priced out. This unmistakable mix of beauty and hardship inspired Bee Asha’s latest project, What A Beautiful Place to Fall Over - a love letter to the place she calls home.

The project blends music, poetry, photography, filmmaking and live performance to celebrate the historically diverse borough of Leith and the local businesses that have kept its pulse alive for generations.

At its core is a live album co-produced by Bee Asha and a selection of Leith creatives including Queen of Harps, Night Caller, Mike Allan, Lou McLean and Subie Coleman. Each collaborator has been invited to co-write a track for the album and perform it in one of Leith’s iconic businesses, with gigs taking place throughout December 2025 and February 2026.

The idea came to Bee whilst cycling through Pilrig Park one morning.

“When I was young, so often I would see drug users resting beneath the trees, with foil and bottles of methadone surrounding them. This time, I only saw the imprints left behind pressed into the patches of bluebells, and the forgotten debris hidden under droplets of deep violet and blue. I thought ‘What A Beautiful Place to Fall Over’.”

Leith is home to a wide array of businesses run by Edinburgh’s immigrant community, which has made it a welcoming space for the diaspora.

“As I cycled, I admired old Leithers sitting out in the sun on the Kirkgate, queuing at Storries Pies, and waiting for their washing in the Laundrette. I went into Adeels and he said he’d fix my phone at a discount because he kens my Da and I thought of how much I loved Leith.”

Venues including the Laundrette, Adeel Phone Repairs, Settlement Projects and Shore Deli have signed up to take part with more locations to be announced.

Each performance will be recorded live and released online, with a short documentary exploring the histories behind the businesses. The project will feature a printed lyric book with illustrations by Bernie Reid and photography by Cameron Rennie.

What A Beautiful Place to Fall Over is more than an album - it’s a portrait of Leith’s living history.

“I couldn’t ignore the rapid changes transforming the Leith I knew from my childhood. I realised then that I wanted to document its story before it was too late.” The changing scenery is a reminder of the loss, survival and resilience that runs through Bee’s work.

Shortlisted for BBC Introducing’s Scottish Act of the Year, Bee Asha has continued to receive acclaim for her work.

Her genre-mixing approach combining spoken word, rap, and singing has become her hallmark. Through the lens of Leith, What A Beautiful Place to Fall Over explores both the light and dark experiences of being from a working-class background in Scotland — with songs that capture joy and community as well as loss and the passing of time.

For more info and tickets visit www.beeasha.com

Info: Photography Cameron Rennie, Graphic design Bernie Reid, Funding Creative Scotland

December Gigs

Queen of Harps x ILYSSIT,

Adeel Phone Repairs,

4 December, 7.30-9pm

With BBC Introducing Scotland giving their single ‘These Daisies’ its debut spin on airwaves in November 2025, this female rap duo are known for their dynamic chemistry and genre-bending sound. Fusing sharp lyricism, live vocals, and eclectic instrumentals, together they blend their oriental roots and classical finesse.

Night Caller, Leith Laundrette,
11 December, 8-9.30pm

Leith’s good-time guys have been a force for freaky fun since they got together in 2023. “Everyone in the band has a really close connection to Leith. The opportunity to give back even more to the area that holds our collective heart so close was a no-brainer”. Don’t miss

their high-octane, low-brow sound and promise of a bit of raucousness.

Mike Allan, Shore Deli,
19 December, 6.30-8pm

Described as “Stevie Nicks doing Ryan Adams”, Mike brings his distinctive alt-country voice to the front along with tales of his connection to Leith “Leith will forever feel like home. My mum grew up there, she was a great swimmer, trained at Leith Victoria and swam for Scotland in the 1966 Commonwealth Games”.