15: Episode 14: Darren Hayman

For the latest episode of In The Spotlight podcast, Bill Cummings is joined by Darren Hayman (Hefner / New Starts / The French). This week he starts a series of re-issues and releases with ‘The Violence’ (Expanded Edition). They talk about the reissue of The Violence and the parallels you can draw between 17th-century English Civil Wars and the East Anglian Witch Trials and how it's still relevant in how society vilifies marginalised people. They also discuss Hayman's restless creativity, which takes in music, art, painting, his Thankful Villages project, Hefner, patreon, songwriting and much more.  The Violence is a highly ambitious and layered Folk album with a huge ensemble lineup.  The original 2012 release was praised by The Quietus, Stewart Lee (The Sunday Times), The Line of Best Fit, Q Magazine, Mojo, NME, the BBC, and many more. As part of a wider effort to fill the holes in his catalogue, this expanded album is accompanied by its companion EP, ‘The Four Queens,’ also made available again for the first time in years.Hayman is an English singer-songwriter. His long career and deep catalogue have seen him tour the world and climb charts as the founder of John Peel-favourites Hefner with Antony Harding,  Jack Hayter, and John Morrison; explore Synth Pop with  The French ('Local Information'); sing domestic duets with The Hayman Kupa Band, bring East London stories to bluegrass with Hayman, Watkins, Trout And Lee, and most recently, return to his indie rock roots with New Starts.Solo, Hayman has amassed a long list of titles, with themes of witch trials, English Civil Wars, mass transit, caravan holidays, royals, astronauts, socialist chants, WW1’s “Thankful Villages,” and his highly acclaimed "Essex Trilogy," whilst utilising lineups like The Wave Pictures ('Madrid'), The Secondary Modern ('Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern' / 'Pram Town' / 'Essex Arms') , The Long Parliament ('The Violence'), and The Short Parliament ('Bugbears').https://darrenhayman.bandcamp.com/https://darrenhaymanart.comhttps://www.patreon.com/c/darrenhayman/about