"Fyfe Dangerfield"
"Fyfe Dangerfield"
Fyfe Antony Dangerfield Hutchins (born 7 July 1980) is an English musician and songwriter, best known for being the founding member of the Avant-garde pop band Guillemots.
Early life
Born in Birmingham in 1980, Dangerfield was classically trained from a young age. Although originally from Moseley, he moved to Bromsgrove at the age of 8. He studied at Bromsgrove School. He was also music teacher at Cranbrook College for a brief period.
Career
Solo artist
Dangerfield is releasing the album Fly Yellow Moon under his own name in 2010.
Compositions
At a gig with the Guillemots in 2005.
Dangerfield composed a choral piece performed at The Lichfield Festival in 2000 - a setting of Christina Rosetti's "A Better Resurrection". This led to a commission from Ex Cathedra Chamber Choir to write a choral setting of one of the 'O Antiphons' for Ex Cathedra's Christmas Music by Candlelight concert in 2000. This has been performed many times since, was included on Ex Cathedra's Christmas Music by Candlelight CD which received some glowing reviews, and has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.
In 2002, Dangerfield was commissioned to write "A Stray Dog for Congratulations" – for three children’s choirs, four percussionists, two pianists and keyboard – for The Lichfield Festival (the only commission that year). The performers included the Backbeat percussion ensemble, as well as the Sydney Children’s choir.
In 2007, Dangerfield was commissioned by the John Feeney Charitable Trust to write a piece for the CBSO for one of the concerts that took place in October 2007 to celebrate the re-opening of Birmingham Town Hall. This was In Wait, a 30-minute orchestral composition, performed by cellist Eduardo Vassallo and the CBSO conducted by Nick Ingman. The second half of the concert was given by Guillemots accompanied by the CBSO.
In 2009, cellist Natalie Clein performed the world premier of a new work by Dangerfield called "Eggshell Walker" at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.
Guillemots
Main article: Guillemots (band)
Other bands
Prior to Guillemots, Dangerfield played in Senseless Prayer (who played a radio session on the late John Peel's show), Fyfe Dangerfield and The Accident, and The Courtesy Group (the band of his brother, Al Hutchins) who have supported Guillemots several times on tour, usually in Birmingham, but, most recently, in London. Dangerfield contributes to the band's upcoming debut album, Tradesman's Entrance. Dangerfield recently contributed a cover of Larrikin Love's "Well, Love Does Furnish a Life" to their EP A Day in the Life. In late 2006, Fyfe released a very limited split vinyl single with his friends The Kittens, on which he contributed a demo of a solo song, "Delusia". This took place shortly before he played two solo shows (albeit, mostly consisting of solo renditions of Guillemots songs) in Birmingham and London, with support from Richard Burke, Emmy the Great, and Fyfe's older brother, Al.
In 2007 he sang "Lovers dream" with Anna Ternheim on her EP, Lovers Dream and More Music For Psychotic Lovers.
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
On 14 February 2007, he made an appearance on episode 20x03 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks (when Preston of The Ordinary Boys walked off the show), on Bill Bailey's team.
Personal life
He has absolute pitch. He is right-handed, but has always played the guitar left-handed. Dangerfield shares his birthday with the unfortunate date of the 2005 London bombings, something he has suggested influenced the retitling and release of Guillemots' first single, "Trains to Brazil", later that year.