Darren Doherty - Live at Lifford Old Courthouse

Darren Doherty has been an active recording and performing artist for the last 20 plus years. Despite being the primary songwriter in a variety of successful projects, it’s only now as he moves to produce, record and release music under his own name that he feels this is the most authentic representation and expression of himself. This can be felt in every choice of lyric, chord or production element that makes up the new single and first under his own name, ‘Violence’. A deeply personal song born from a place of hurt that he hopes can transform into something beautiful, offering solace for listener and in the process transcend those original feelings of hurt.

Having been raised in a house that considered John Prine, God and Tom Petty, Jesus, it’s therefore unsurprising that Darren found his way to music. After spending his early 20’s playing in A Northern Light, an act that achieved considerable success playing festivals alongside rock giants Foo Fighters, having music featured in Hollyoaks and being on regular rotation on Radio 1.

Following the dissolution of the band, Darren moved to Glasgow, a period of time that found him at his lowest ebb. Battling with an alcohol addiction that had all but consumed him. He found himself in his Glaswegian flat, hollow and struggling to find purpose, suicidal ideations flooded his mind, but the night is always darkest before the dawn. What transpired Darren now considers to be spiritual intervention. As the acoustic guitar that sat quietly in the corner called to him and he was reminded that in spite of the situation he faced down, he could still sing, and he could still play guitar. What came out was a confession and a promise to live.

‘Violence’ finds Darren fulfilling this promise. The inception of the track was a voice memo recording centred around the refrain of ‘Do you want me to fall backwards?’. A phrase that became a mantra for Darren as he revisited it over a number of months while he searched for the special alchemy that would give the track life. A period of exploration working with different producers and studios brought Darren to the conclusion that the best way to realise the sounds in his head was to self-produce. A decision that ups the stakes in accountability but allows Darren to get ever closer to representing his own unique voice. Adding a simplistic drum track which took inspiration from the iconic 808 drum machine, gave the track pulse and drive. The rest of the track was built like a jigsaw puzzle, adding soundscape crashes, electric guitars, shimmering synths and an abundance of audio ear candy. With a multitude of melodies interwoven throughout the track the result is a lush yet haunting song that gives the listener something new to discover with every repeat listen.

Lyrically, the track speaks of a coping mechanism that ultimately ends up hurting more than helping and like all of Darrens songs it comes from a deeply personal place. This entirely personal approach from exorcising deep personal trauma, to self-recording, engineering and producing give Darrens music a unique voice, one that resonates with authenticity and purpose. In Darrens own words, “Violence feels very much like the starting point of my new direction and it’s a perfect blend of the sounds that I want to present. It’s full of contrast. It’s beautiful but disturbing, catchy but angular, sunny and dark.”