Acts / Duncan Black

Duncan Black

Duncan chooses to perform alone. There is no miming or trickery. Sounds are created with truckloads of guitars, stomp boxes, drum machines and other gadgets he has collected over the last 20 years. These devices are pushed beyond their technical boundaries to produce the sounds you now hear on this profile.

Duncan was born in Bangor, North Wales, 1973. He took up guitar at fourteen, after developing an obsession with heavy metal. Numerous collaborations with bands followed, and a demo found it’s way to Peter Hook from New Order (legend has it he was impressed). Duncan studied contemporary music at Manchester Metropolitan University from 1993 to 1996, where he also took guitar lessons in jazz. Duncan went on to play guitar for countless bands, touring throughout the UK and Germany, as well as performing at all manner of events from raves to art gallery exhibitions and rock concerts. Much of his work has been featured on TV and Radio.

In 2003, Duncan made the decision to perform as a soloist. Although it was intended to be a side project, initial gigs were well received. This led to headline slots and favourable promotion from the North Wales music scene. Subsequently, BBC Radio Wales commissioned a live session and in 2005, a solo album was released. Duncan went on to play some ‘fairly big festivals’.

In 2006, a fan posted a video of Mr Black on ‘youtube’ – it garnered 146443 hits. A new album is currently in production.

Duncan Black now resides in Canterbury with his wife Rhian.

  1. Add to mixtape Al Capone
  2. Add to mixtape Platillos Voladores
  3. Add to mixtape Audiosculpture

That's all folks!

3 months ago

Thanks to anyone who voted for me (hargh! I should be so lucky). I do not expect to win anything, but I bumped into a few cool bands along the way so it's not all bad. If you have the time, please go and check out 'Sinister Footwear', 'A Ninja Slob Drew Me' and Imelda May. Those were my personal favourites.

1 comment

Rock journalism is people who can't write, preparing stories based on interviews with people who can't talk, in order to amuse people who can't read.

4 months ago

The people who run this contest asked for it, so I thought I'd post it. It's the most stylish picture I could find off-hand from the Create festival in Ashford last year.

I say stylish... it's been said I look like Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'. But the 80s are back aren't they? Some of those emo kids certainly look like ex-members of Kajagoogoo. Let's hope Wham! don't reform.

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There's a Tractor in my balls

4 months ago

The photo on the left is a circuit diagram of all the electronic crap I use on stage (click to enlarge). It may go some way to explaining how I make all the sounds you can hear in my music.

Here's a few drummer jokes. Apologies if you're a drummer, but these jokes were very popular in the 80s metal scene and do not represent the views or opinions of the author (allegedly) -

Q) How do you know when a drummer's at the door?
A) The knock speeds up

Q) What's the difference between a drummer and a drum machine?
A) You only have to punch the information into a drum machine once

Q) How do you know when the drum stool is level?
A) The drummer drools out of both sides of his mouth

Q) What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians?
A) A drummer

A drummer decides he wants to be a guitarist. He sells his drum kit and takes out a bank loan to buy the ultimate guitar rig. He walks into a shop and says 'I want the ultimate set-up - Ibanez guitars, Mesa Boogie amps - I want guitar pedals that take up 60 metres of floor space'. The shop keeper replies - 'That's very interesting sir, but this is a chip shop'.

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