The official website for the band Hefner and songwriter Darren Hayman
I’ve now switched to a print on demand service for Hefner T-shirts mugs and bags.
This means I can now make all Hefner T-shirts available all the time!
Just go here… https://darrenhaymanart.com/collections/hefner-hayman-merchendise
Pre-order the forthcoming album ‘Amazing Things by Darren Hayman and his Electric Guitars’
A year ago, I lost my friend.
During his last few months, he visited his favourite curry house and told the owner that he probably wouldn’t be in again.
“I have cancer,” he said.
The owner was upset and said, “Oh, but they can do amazing things these days!”
Darren Hayman has made an album about death and grief titled Amazing Things, which isn’t morose, slow, or quiet. Instead, it is packed with joyful, melodic guitars and some of Darren’s prettiest tunes. It is sometimes very sad, but also heartfelt, loving, and rewarding.
Darren recorded the album almost entirely solo, except for one song written with his childhood friend Andy Field. Darren is using the name Darren Hayman and his Electric Guitars for this project to reflect the making of the record.
“Apart from drums, bass, and vocals, the only instruments on the record are electric guitars,” explains Darren. “This is both an homage to my friend’s music taste and another one of the rules or limitations I need to make records. Despite the electric guitar being my main instrument, I often run scared from it and feel that records need many other instruments to create texture. This time, I had to take time and care and find out what guitars can be.”
Amazing Things is an album about the complexities of grief; it is about loss and love. “Nobody You’d Know” tells you about a friend you never had. “All The Toys” is about a heaven where you can have every toy you want and they repair themselves every day. “It’s Gotten Quiet Round Here” is a song about the deafening nothing that follows death.
Darren says, “When I knew we were going into the final months and that I would be spending some of that time with him, another friend said to me, ‘That will be an honour’; I didn’t understand what they meant until afterwards.”
Darren Hayman is a British songwriter best known for his work with late 90s band Hefner, but has since made more than 20 albums dealing with astronauts, the English Civil War, William Morris, Lidos, and Thankful Villages. He lives in South London with his dog.
Darren Hayman and His Electric Guitars
Amazing Things wia123lp
Released 22 August 2025
On black 12″ vinyl, printed inner with 7″ square colouring-in book
CD in card wallet with 7″ square colouring-in book
also available as download
Track List:
Nobody You’d Know
Amazing Things
Teenage Guitar
Something Beautiful
Clean White Page
Do Whatever You Want
Heart’s Been Broken Before
All The Toys
It’s Gotten Quiet Round Here
Somebody Good Thinks I’m Good
Prices include postage and packing.
PRE-ORDER A DOWNLOAD OF AMAZING THINGS FROM BANDCAMP
‘Nobody You’d Know’ is the first release from Darren Hayman’s forthcoming album ‘Amazing Things’, to be released under the name Darren Hayman and his Electric Guitars.
‘Amazing Things’ is an uplifting about friendship, death and grief. ‘Nobody You’d Know’ is the opening scene setting song that hopes to tell you about a good person you possibly missed out on. The cassette single is backed with a version of Madonna’s ‘Borderline’, a favourite of Darren’s friend and subject matter of the whole album.
Despite the electric guitar always being Darren’s primary instrument this is the first time he has felt he’s dug deep into the instrument. This song and the following album are rich on tone, feeling and melody.
The cassette single is designed by Will Arnold who also designed the album art. Will is another good friend of the song’s subject matter and everything has been made with love.
Here is a video for the song.
The cassingle is limited to just 50 copies and comes with a download code. It will be released and sent out on or around 25th May.
Prices include postage and packing.
For Darren’s exhibition of fun fair paintings at Art Dog Gallery this November and December we have a made a book featuring all 36 of the paintings over 76 pages.
This run of books is limited to 300 copies and Darren’s last art book ‘The Last Dog Walk’ sold out in a few weeks.
The book will ship on or around 23rd November.
Each painting is accompanied by a fragment of prose by Darren and the book also contains Darren’s thoughts on the process and creation of the paintings.
Prices include postage and packing.
Buy Fun Fair/New Starts CD Bundle
An exclusive Giclee print limited to 100 copies on 240 gsm paper. Every one is numbered and signed in pencil by Darren. It features nine paintings by Darren based on songs by Paul McCartney that feature birds.
The prints are A3 in size (297 x 420mm) and will be sent wrapped in tissue and rolled into a mailing tube.
Prices include postage and packing.
A 72 page book of Darren’s first ever painting exhibition.
The Last Dog Walk is a collection of paintings about solitude, loneliness and envy. Each painting is accompanied by a new Hayman lyric or line of poetry.
Please take care to choose correct worldwide location. Price includes postage and packing.
SOLD OUT!
Third and final Hefner contribution to the Precious singles series … and what a contribution it is, a session from Steve Lamacq’s ‘Live Lounge’ with a Jonathan Richman cover in the mix. The download will also include ‘The Hymn For The Cigarettes’, which the band played live into the show from Maida Vale. Plus the package includes a set of four ‘Hefner does DiY’ postcards by Darren Hayman, which any self-respecting fan will surely want. And he’s done his usual top job on the sleeve notes.
Songsheet:
The Weight Of The Stars, The Hymn For The Things We Didn’t Do, Every Little Gesture, To Hide A Little Thought
Order now, prices include P and P.
Please take care to choose correct worldwide destination.
Never before available on vinyl this is a recording of Hefner’s full concert for the John Peel show with brass section and Amelia Fletcher on guest vocals, (released on cult indie label wiaiwya) on 13 May 2022. Available on black and green vinyl.
On the 23rd August 2000 Hefner played a very special show from BBC’s Maida Vale studios to an invited audience for the John Peel show. This was the highlight of a relationship between the band and the greatly revered DJ which saw 5 Peel sessions and four live concerts broadcast on his Radio 1 show.
The concert on this album features an 8 piece version of the band with includes a brass section, pedal steels, ukuleles and violin alongside their own guitars bass and drums. It also features several contributions from Amelia Fletcher, (Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Wedding Present, Marine Research). The songs have been newly remixed from the original master tapes.
Order Maida Vale on red vinyl here!
Please take care to choose correct worldwide location.
You can also buy the download from Bandcamp here…
Finally, a second repress of the debut album by Darren Hayman and his first band Hefner in time for the 20th Anniversary.
It’s like the original. It has ten songs on it.
The two CD version has 40 songs on it, including 30 b-sides and outtakes.
Order now, prices include P and P.
Please take care to choose correct worldwide location.
Or buy the download here…
double coloured vinyl 7″, with inner sleeves includes download
Darren covers Goldfinger with backing singers and everything.
Full track listiing…
Sleeper featuring David Gedge – Mr Kisss Kiss Bang Bang
The Left Outsides – Diamonds are Forever
Darren Hayman – Goldfinger
DJ Downfall featuring Theoretical Girl – Moonraker
SOLD OUT! SORRY!