About
Darren Black is a musician, songwriter and composer. Welsh born but now based in Hampshire UK, he is a guitarist, singer and fiddle player who has, to some acclaim, thrashed it out in indie bands, contemporary and alternative folk outfits, and continuous solo based shenanigans.
His forthcoming album 'Field Day' - an exciting new collaboration with fiddle player Hamilton Gross, is due for release on 8th May 2026. See Discography and Live pages for further details of the launch show on 9th May and album pre-order.
Largely rooted in sociological, political and ecological observation, Darren's music has a unique & contemporary sound, the recordings of which have been stored for preservation in the National Sound Archive. His first album ‘Silent Poetry’ was recorded by legendary fiddle player Dave Swarbrick and gained rave reviews. His follow-up ‘Thinkers & Fools’ went a step further, featuring notable folk musicians including Joe Broughton, Kevin Dempsey and Dave Swarbrick. ‘Lord Abergavenny’s Hills’ (featuring Lennie Harvey on slide guitar) was written around tales from the South Wales mining industry where he was born and where his grandfather worked for nearly a quarter of a century. ‘WISPERAU’, a semi-instrumental album, solely about the seasons, was released in late 2017. 'Playing With The Truth', released in 2020, was a collaboration with ex-Paul Weller brass player/arranger Stewart Prosser and pianist/composer Robert Sword. 'Empty Halls Can Feel Like Crowded Rooms', layered with additional synthesised soundscapes, was released in 2023.
Aside from his solo based work, he also plays fiddle in Black Shepherd. This is his instrumental duo with octave-mandolin & Amicus player Jim Shepperd, playing a mix of traditional and trad-inspired original tunes.
Other past musical endeavours include Black Peak. Their debut album ‘In times back when’ was runner-up for Best Debut in the Spiral Earth Awards. He has also guested on other recordings including Naomi Bedford’s ‘Tales from the weeping willow’, which also features Paul Heaton, Alasdair Roberts, Justin Currie and Paul Simmonds.
