Darren Poyzer
About
Special Needs Music Leader; Singer and Songwriter; wears a blue hat ...
25 Years of Love and Hat
With over 25 years working in and around music, primarilly as a special needs music leader and dynamic, lively singer/songwriter, Darren has starred alongside many great contemporaries to wide and outstanding acclaim, played festivals here and in the US, but still loves to keep it real in every sense.
He teaches presently in residence at an EBD school working with children in care delivering ICT and Music, and otherwise is Project Manager for Brighter Sound working on the final stages of transition for MusicLeader North East. He continues to lead a youth music group in rural Cheshire, and has in recent times been resident in school working with autistic children for 5 years, co-leading on special needs performance projects with Drake Music and Manchester Camerata, and working part-time as music therapist in an adult care home.
Darren is also noted for sharing his energies to the benefit of up and coming musicians and writers. As well as co-hosting 'Stand And Deliver' in the mid 1980's, which was a catalyst to the rise of alternative cabaret and comedy, he launched the music programming for one of Greater Manchester's most prolific live music venues 'The Witchwood', and continued through 10 years at the heart of the Madchester scene and beyond.
Darren was also prolific at the outset of the Manchester acoustic scene at the end of the 1990's, fronting 'Acoustica' events all over Greater Manchester and producing the first acoustic songwriter compilation cd of that era 'Words & Pictures' for Raw Fish Records.
Since his very first gig with his own songs came in 1986, supporting the late great inspirational poet Adrian Mitchell, in a room above a rough old backstereet pub. Since then, he's vibrantly supported as wide a range of artistes, stars and mavericks as anyone, ranging from The Saw Doctors to Steve Coogan, Llloyd Cole to Eddi Reader, The Tiger Lillies to John Cooper Clarke.
He has released 5 CD's and one live concert DVD - these being 'Love And Hat'; 'Bloody Love Songs'; 'Global' (CD & DVD); 'Brilliant Words'; and 'Passion & Conflict'. He's also appeared on a number of good cause compilation albums.
Other Stuff ...
Darren is holder of a UK Visionary Design Award courtesy of the RNIB.
He also stood at two General Elections as a candidate for The Official Monster Raving Loony Party, on record as their 5th most popular candidate nationally in 1997. By deedpole he changed his name to 'Cymbal, The Candidate Formerly Known As Prince', amassing an incredible 458 votes and thus acquiring local infamy for his 'Stalybridge, Dukinfield, Hyde and Gee Cross Olympic Bid', and search for 'Ashton Nessie, The Stamford Park Boating Pond Monster'.