Beardyman

Beardyman is a multi award-winning, beatbox champion, live looping pioneer, musical producer and comedian.

Beardyman, whose real name is Darren Foreman, is known for his astounding talent for producing the sounds and rhythms of entire musical tracks using only his mouth.

Starting out as an internet phenomenon, his unique style saw him quickly reach 50 million views on YouTube.

Since becoming the UK Beatbox champion in 2006, he went on to collaborate with musical artists, such as Groove Armada and Fat Boy Slim, performed at music festivals including Bestival and Lovebox and appeared on an eclectic mix of shows on TV and radio, including on BBC1, MTV Radio 1 and Radio 6Music.

In 2020, Darren became the voice of Love Monster, a character in the cBeebies programme by the same name. More recently branched out into advertising, providing bespoke music commissions and consultations for commercials.

Contact Great British Speakers today to book award-winning beatbox legend, comedian and artist Beardyman for your next event.

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More About Beardyman

Background

Beardyman’s first musical venture was composing a symphony for his school orchestra at the age of ten. At fifteen, an introduction to drum and bass led to his long-standing obsession with music technology. Darren was given the nickname “Beardyman” because a name was quickly needed for a flyer for an early show, and he had a beard at the time.

What makes Beardyman unique is his combination of comedy with music in his live performances, with past performances seeing him impersonate Elvis and appearing as a money on stage at Bestival.

In November 2008 Beardyman was beamed LIVE as a main headliner on the first ever streamed concert, YouTube Live. In 2010 he opened Glastonbury Festival’s 40th Anniversary. In 2010 he also completed his first ever tour of UK and Ireland, successfully selling out all venues.

In 2011 Darren released his debut album to critical acclaim on Sunday Best Records. With producer Tom Middleton (famed for his work with other musical scientists Aphex Twin and Matthew Herbert), they encapsulated the many sides and essence of Beardyman on one record: fusing funny skits with credible music, all using his golden larynx to beatbox 95% of the instrumentation.

In 2013 his profile kept soaring, headlining several festivals main stages and rocking massive crowds around the world. His festival appearances in the USA, Japan, Australia and throughout Europe have spread his wings globally.

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One Album Per Hour

In 2015 Darren’s unique talent took an even more inspiring and original turn with One Album Per Hour, his unique brand of improvisational, musical, beatboxing comedy.

Before the show the audience are invited to write down song title suggestions, which are filtered by backstage team and later plucked from a hat onstage by Beardyman to form the basis of each track. Beardyman then distorts his beats and sounds to create everything from techno ballet and trance to reggae and garage.

He showed his sublime mastery of every genre and the remarkable speed he could come up with ideas for music and lyrics. He also showed his charisma and excellent comedy and impressions. At the end of each night, Beardyman would have created a unique album.

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Why Book Darren?

Darren is truly one of the most original comedians and musical artists around. He makes every appearance completely unique, responding literally to the needs, ideas and presence of his audiences, creating something completely memorable.