Declan Bennett

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Declan Bennett
Born (1981-03-20) 20 March 1981
Coventry, England
Genres Acoustic, pop rock, alternative
Occupations Singer-songwriter
Instruments Singing, guitar, keyboards, flute
Years active 1999-present
Labels Warner Music Group, Covboy Records
Website declanbennett.co.uk

Declan Bennett (born 20 March 1981) is an English singer/songwriter, from 2001 to 2006 appearing under the name Sumladfromcov, now performing under his own name. As a teenager he was a member of pop/rock band Point Break, and he has also performed lead roles in shows in London's West End and throughout the United States. He is currently playing the lead role Guy in the UK premier of Tony-winning Broadway musical Once at the Phoenix Theatre in London [1]

Early life

As a teenager, Declan performed with the Belgrade Youth Theatre and the Coventry Youth Operetta Group (YOG) Coventry, including appearances in Willy Russell’s Our Day Out in September 1996,[2] and in Boy Band, which featured a number of his own compositions.[3] He also performed with the National Youth Music Theatre, in The Kissing-Dance 1999.[4]

Subsequent career

In May 1999, Declan was one of nine teenagers chosen to sing live on the British morning TV show This Morning in a feature that put together a boy band. Following his appearance, he was contacted in the studio by another band, Point Break, which featured Brett Adams and David ‘Ollie’ Oliver from UK children’s TV programme Byker Grove, who were signed to Warner Music, and who were looking for a new member. The band released five singles, four of which made the UK top 20, and an album,which was number one in three countries in southeast Asia, including Japan, and made the UK top 40. Declan left the band in December 2000.[citation needed]

In January 2002, Declan was given the part of Guru Dazzle in Boy George’s West End show Taboo which received four Olivier Award nominations and he later took over one of the lead roles, Billy, playing alongside Matt Lucas, Boy George, and Julian Clary among others till the show closed in London in April 2003.[5]

Declan also played the role of Billy in the UK tour of the show from December 2003 to 2004.[6][7]

In January 2005, Declan released his first solo album The Painters Ball under the pseudonym Sumladfromcov on his own record label Covboy Records. This was followed by a limited-edition EP The Kitchen in May 2006.[8]

In September 2006, Declan took over the role of Roger Davis in the American national tour of Broadway rock opera Rent. He completed a nine-month tour of the United States from September 2006 to May 2007.[9] He would reprise the role on Broadway from October 2007 till May 2008.[10]

Now performing as a singer-songwriter under his own name, in March 2007, Declan released a five-track iTunes-only EP 10 Nelson Road.[11] His second full-length album, entitled An Innocent Evening Of Drinking, was released on 14 April 2008.[12] An iTunes-only single "Therapy" packaged with two remixes (Olivia's Mix and New York Live Studio Mix) was released in the USA on 27 April 2009, in the rest of the world on 23 March 2009.

On January 31, 2010, Declan performed on the Grammy Awards with Green Day as a cast member of American Idiot the musical. The rock opera opened on Broadway on April 20, 2010 and ran until April 24, 2011. Declan was a member of the ensemble, understudying and performing the roles of Will and Rock and Roll Boyfriend.

Declan released band album record:BREAKUP on April 25, 2011 in New York.

His most recent album, a live and acoustic version of record:BREAKUP was released on Monday August 19, 2013

In 2013, Declan opened the West End production of Once, in the leading role of Guy with Zrinka Cvitešić (leading role of Girl).

Discography

With Point Break

Year Title Notes
1999 Do We Rock Warner Music, single.
1999 Stand Tough Warner Music, single.
2000 Freaky Time Warner Music, single.
2000 You Warner Music, single.
2000 Apocadelic Warner Music, album.
2000 What About Us Warner Music, single.

Solo releases

Year Title Notes
2005 The Painters Ball Covboy Records, album. Released under the name Sumladfromcov, ref COVBCD01, on 24 January 2005.
2006 The Kitchen Covboy Records, EP. Limited release under the name Sumladfromcov and sold at gigs and through the official website only.
2007 10 Nelson Road Covboy Records, EP. Download-only release through iTunes on 5 March 2007.
2008 An Innocent Evening of Drinking Covboy Records, album, ref COVBCD002. Released on 14 April 2008.
2009 Therapy Covboy Records, single. Download-only release through iTunes on 23 March 2009.
2011

2013

 record:BREAKUP

record:BREAKUP live & unplugged

 Covboy Records, album, ref COVBCD003. Released on 25 April 2011.

Covboy Records, album ref COVBCD007. Released on 16 August 2013

References

  1. ↑ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/174365-Declan-Bennett-and-Zrinka-Cvitei263-to-Star-in-West-End-Premiere-of-Once
  2. ↑ Willyrussell.com (2007). Excerpt of newspaper reviews of Our Day out. Retrieved on July 1, 2007.
  3. ↑ Coventry Internet Developments Ltd (1995-2000). Belgrade Theatre Press Release: Boy Band. Retrieved on July 1, 2007.
  4. ↑ Howard Goodall (2007). The Kissing-Dance. Retrieved on July 1, 2007.
  5. ↑ Albemarle-London.com (2006). Archive page for Taboo. Retrieved on July 1, 2007.
  6. ↑ http://www.thelowry.com/news/2003/07/10/the-lowry-tours-taboo-the-boy-george-musical
  7. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/stage/2004/04/taboo.shtml
  8. ↑ http://www.queermusicheritage.us/outnov12s.html
  9. ↑ Playbill (2007), Playbill article by Kenneth Jones. Retrieved on October 31, 2007.
  10. ↑ http://broadwayworld.com/article/Rodney-Hicks-Returns-to-Rent-with-NewComers-Bennet-Jay-20071004
  11. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/10-nelson-road-acoustic-version/id216865234
  12. ↑ https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/innocent-evening-drinking/id276161964

External links

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