Darren Black is a musician with a growing profile on the folk/acoustic scene. Described by fROOTS magazine as "thoughtful and masterful", he hails from the Welsh valleys and carries a heart-felt honesty in his music.
Originally a classical violinist, he later taught himself guitar and folk fiddle. Inspired by bands such as Yes, Led Zeppelin and the melodic, poignant lyricism of Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, musing soon progressed to song-writing. Several spells in underground indie/folk bands got the Jimmy Page out of his system(!), but ultimately served only to lure him back to his acoustic roots.
He now performs solo with guitar and violin, also in 'Black Peak' as a duo with fiddle-player Deborah Peake, and as a trio with Kevin Dempsey & Helen Lancaster. He also plays fiddle in Naomi Bedford's band. Lyrically he writes about what makes him tick, and "has an incisive flair for blurring the boundaries between the traditional and contemporary". He has played at an array of established folk festivals including the Beverley, Priddy, Two Rivers and the Sunrise Celebration. He has also opened shows for veritable legends and award-winners alike, including Karine Polwart, Jim Moray, Dave Swarbrick & Martin Carthy, Dick Gaughan, Kathryn Tickell, Chris Wood, Martin Simpson, Last Night's Fun and Spiers & Boden.
2007 saw the release of Darren's debut album, the acclaimed ‘Silent Poetry’. After opening several shows for the legendary Dave Swarbrick & Martin Carthy, he was invited to record it at Swarb’s home studio.
The follow-up album 'Thinkers & fools' was recorded in Feb/Mar 2008, this time with an array of instrumental arrangements. Featuring guest musicians including Joe Broughton, Kevin Dempsey and Dave Swarbrick, and cover artwork by Brad Waters , it was released in Sept '08 and is available now from all good record shops.
What the reviewers are saying......
"It's a quiet treasure from a name to note." Rock n'Reel magazine
"A second installment of passionate and economic songwriting from Darren, with a basically traditional feel but over-laying incisive contemporary commentary. Invariably set to bold, attractively rich string-assisted textures involving the assistance of Messrs Broughton, Swarbrick and Dempsey. Both delivery and content prove very pursuasive" fROOTS magazine
"One gets the feeling that this represents the early days in a career that has the potential to give rise to an impressive and influential body of work" Green Man Review
"a really strong effort this. Black possesses everything you need in a great folk musician and has now produced an album worthy of that status" FOLKING.COM
"'Thinkers And Fools' is mature and genuinely poetical. Darren has found a new radiant sound which should propel him to a position alongside any of the new breed of folk performers" SPIRAL EARTH
"It should be a welcome addition to any collection of folk music" TAPLAS magazine
"It continues where Silent Poetry left off, forming a second instalment of purposeful, passionate songwriting. Darren has a real flair for the keen economic expression of incisive contemporary commentary through lyrical, sometimes quasi-traditional-feeling musical settings...a persuasive and thought-provoking set of new songs that will stand the test of time" NETRHYTHMS
"A thought-provoking and sonically luscious piece of work" Shreds+Patches magazine
Available in-store and on-line at HMV , Amazon , Zavvi etc. Distributed by Proper Distribution.
2007's debut album 'Silent Poetry', also available at the above stores...
"Winchester-based s/s performs his own purposeful songs; his attractive writing style is tempered with both poetry and realism, his own instrumental accompaniments (guitar or fiddle) both thoughtful and masterful. Blessed with an unassumingly natural recording (from Swarb's home studio, no less), this disc turns out to be quite a grower in fact." fRoots
"He's a masterful musician and writes very strong and passionate lyrics. Clever timing and a unique awareness for blending words and music so that they feed off each other to create a poignant atmosphere...I could go on about this album...a real raw natural energy about it. This is one hell of an album and beautifully crafted by a great wordsmith and musician! Do yourself a favour and get it" Alex Gallacher, FolkRadio.co.uk
"These songs are sung with a passion and poetry which gives the listener a sense of purpose to the material...it contains 9 strong tracks which should make Black a household name on the UK folk and acoustic music scene" Darren Beech, FOLKING.COM
"A delightfully sparse recording allowing Black's enchanting voice the freedom to soar above his musical accompanyment and enabling the listener to focus on his elegiac lyrics. Charismatic and frenzied fiddle playing...lyrical astuteness throughout...blessed with an incisive flair for blurring the boundaries between the traditional and contemporary. Silent Poetry is a remarkable achievement that could quickly establish Black as one of the foremost songwriters and performers in British folk music." Mike Wilson, GREEN MAN REVIEW
"From the off Darren convinces us of the importance of the subject matter applying all the prowess of a versatile and talented storyteller...gratifying sensitivity and propulsive flourishes...coupled with a voice that has a gentle burr and a resilient edge...Like the best folk songs these feel that they have a purpose beyond entertainment. They spark our minds and inform us of how rich and varied life can be" Dave Kushar, SPIRAL EARTH
"Folk music is about telling a story. It's sad that in many an instance, the singer isn’t able to connect with the listener and that story goes unheard. The power of Darren's voice pulls the listener into the story he's telling, holds them there and his story is told." Jarvis Hammond, A YEAR OF FESTIVALS
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