Son of Dave

Born in Winnipeg in 1967 as Benjamin Darvill, Son of Dave first developed his career on the Canadian scene, playing with The Detonators and later with Crash Test Dummies, where he contributed harmonica, mandolin, guitar and percussion to several 1990s albums. Based in London from the late 1990s, he shaped the Son of Dave project as a solo formula centered on blues, folk rock and roots rock, with rhythmic vocal work akin to beatboxing and a stripped-down, raw, highly physical sound. Son of Dave released B. Darvill’s Wild West Show in 1999 and O1 in 2000, before refining his approach on O2 (2006) and O3 (2008). Shake a Bone, issued in 2010 and recorded with Steve Albini, extends this minimal, tense aesthetic. His subsequent discography includes Blues at the Grand (2013), Explosive Hits (2016), Music for Cop Shows (2017) and A Flat City (2024), the latter tied to his return to Winnipeg after more than twenty years in England. In addition to his records, Son of Dave has performed on stages such as Glastonbury, the Montreux Jazz Festival and on the show Later... with Jools Holland.