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Dan Whitehouse (born 9 March 1979) is an English songwriter and musician.Anon. "Wolves Beat L-Z" Wolves Beat, Wolverhampton, date unknown. Retrieved 22 September 2014. He is known for his distinctive voice and understated songwriting. His 2012 album Reaching for a State of Mind was made with percussionist Chip Bailey, a collaborator of Duke Special, and won critical acclaim as having lyrical vulnerability and imaginative musical settings.
Music Republic Magazine described Whitehouse as "A triple threat, a fine songwriter, a unique vocal talent and a talented multi-instrumentalist/performer".Redley, Simon. "Reviews Zone: Dan Whitehouse: Dreamland Tomorrow" Music Republic Magazine, UK, May 2020. Retrieved on 9 July 2020.
After stints performing with Naomi (1998–2000) and fronting rock band Sonara, who performed at Reading Festival,Anon. "Dan Whitehouse – The Balloon Ep – Official Launch Gig" Remote Goat, UK, 31 January 2009. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. Whitehouse went solo in 2007. He has since supported such acts as Maria McKee, Julian Cope, Peter Green, Josh Ritter, Caitlin Rose, 10cc, World Party, Joseph Arthur, Willy Mason and Simone Felice, as well as Eddi Reader, The Little Unsaid, Kris Drever and Joan As Policewoman.Sanders, Leigh, "Wolverhampton Dan Whitehouse Joined by Boo Hewerdine..." Express and Star, UK, 9 November 2018.
Whitehouse released his debut record, the seven-track The Balloon EP, in 2009. This was followed by The Bubble EP later that year. Lead track, You Can't Give Me Anymore, was described as being reminiscent "of waves crashing on a beach."Comfort Comes. "Review: Dan Whitehouse – Where is The Love?" Comfort Comes, UK, 18 November 2009. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. The track also featured Dan's first collaboration with pedal steel guitar player B. J. Cole.
His final release of 2009 was The Box EP. Collectively, the three 2009 EPs form a trilogy exploring themes of "life, love, loss and happiness."
Whitehouse's self-titled debut album was released in 2012, and was partially recorded in the songwriter's flat over a period of time with acoustic instrumentation. The album also included Theremin, an electric screwdriver, and, on the song "My Stupid Face", ambient sounds recorded at Birmingham shopping centre the Bullring. ." "Dan Whitehouse's saucer inspiration" Coventry Telegraph, Coventry, 13 April 2012. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
In 2013, Whitehouse released his more ambitious second full album, Reaching for a State of Mind. Recorded in a professional studio with producer Michael Clarke and a full band, notable guests included Ezio guitarist Booga, Helen Lancaster from folk act The Old Dance School, Fairport Convention's PJ Wright, and Duke Special's percussionist Chip Bailey. The album's 11 tracks were culled from an initial long-list of 35 home-recorded demos".
Despite the inclusion of two notable folk musicians, the album is described as sitting "within a fairly wide spectrum of pop-rock-folk-Americana-roots influences."Freak, Dave. "An Interview with Dan Whitehouse" Folk Radio UK, UK, 21 August 2013. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
Artree described the album as "more intricately crafted and refined" than previous work, and a "musical evolution."Knipe, Joe. "Album Review: Dan Whitehouse – Reaching For A State Of Mind" Artree, UK, undated. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
The album was launched at The Crescent Theatre, Birmingham, in September 2013, with a special guest appearance from Duke Special.Vincent, David. "Dan Whitehouse at The Crescent Theatre" Weekend Notes, UK, September 2013. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. The show was a sell-out.Farragher, Danny. "Dan Whitehouse Live Review Crescent Theatre, Birmingham" FolkAll, UK, 1 October 2013. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. After an opening solo set, Duke later joined Whitehouse on stage for a version of Neil Young's Helpless.Davies, Mike. "Mike Davies October 2013" Roots And Branches, UK, 1 October 2013. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
Four previously unreleased tracks recording during the Reaching for a State Of Mind sessions were later released as Reaching for a Further State of Mind EP.
In 2014, Whitehouse toured North America for the first time with accordion-playing German-American singer-songwriter Anja McCloskey, and released a joint-EP, Still,Slater, Aaron. "Interview: Anja McCloskey" Songwriting Magazine, UK, 17 September 2014. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. which was recorded in Birmingham.Dhillon, Arandeep Singh. "Manchester 'one of the world's music capitals', says singer Dan Whitehouse" Mancunian Matters, Manchester, 23 February 2014. Retrieved on 22 September 2014. The two met while at university together in London, and Anja has described their collaboration as "alternative folk."Barnes, Adrian. "Anja McCloskey talks music in advance of free Rossland show" The Rossland Telegraph, Canada, 21 January 2014. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
During August 2014, Whitehouse performed at Moseley Folk Festival between The Felice Brothers and Richard Thompson where he performed material from his third album Raw State. The album features both new tracks and reimagined versions of previously released songs, and was produced by Danny George Wilson and Chris Clarke of Danny and the Champions of the World. The album continues Dan's collaboration with B. J. Cole.Andrew, Simon. "Sound and Vision: Dan Whitehouse. Beat Surrender, UK, 14 August 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
Whitehouse signed to Reveal Records for his fourth album, 2016's Introducing. He also released a series of EPs, the fourth of which, EP 4: Sings Boo, saw Dan tackle songs either written wholly by, or co-written by Boo Hewerdine.
During 2016/2017, Whitehouse began working with Birmingham-based singer-songwriter and pianist Danielle Cawdell on her debut recording. The album, Silence Set Me Free was released in February 2018 with Whitehouse acting as producer and co-writer, as well as playing on the tracks.
The album was pulled together from a collection of around 70 demos. Disc 1 is described as "experimental" while disc 2 is "rawer, more live setting".
FolkRadio stated that Dreamland Tomorrow unveiled "a strikingly new maturity and willingness to push the envelope," which saw Whitehouse "adopting an experimental approach and more expansive sound palette." NorthernSky observed the experimental material was "reminiscent of Scott Walker's more adventurous exploits"Wilkinson, Allan. "Dan Whitehouse - Dreamland Tomorrow", Northern Sky Reviews, UK, 2 June 2020. Retrieved on 9 July 2020. while England On Sunday asked "is Dan Whitehouse the David Bowie of folk?"Walker, Derek. "CD Of The Week: Dan Whitehouse - Dreamland Tomorrow", England On Sunday, UK, 5 July 2020. Retrieved on 9 July 2020.
The release was complemented by the 6-track Dreamland Live EP, featuring live versions of selected album tracks, alongside several remixes, including Tomorrow by Gustaf Ljunggren. "Dan Whitehouse Releases", Reveal Records, UK. Retrieved on 9 July 2020. "Dan Whitehouse", Bandcamp. Retrieved on 9 July 2020.
Dan extended the textural approach featured on the first part of the album for his soundtrack to Charlie Chaplin's The Vagabond - a commission for Birmingham Comedy Festival 2020.Vincent, David. "Leading Brum musicians set for comedy festival line-up", BrumNotes, Birmingham, UK, 3 October 2020. Retrieved on 4 October 2020.
A companion album, Reflections On The Glass Age, saw Dan revisiting the songs from The Glass Age. Described as "an acoustic sequel" the 2023 release presents "the same songs stripped back."artsculture. "Reflections From The Glass Age | emotional, acoustic sequel from Dan Whitehouse ", ArtsCulture, UK, 11 February 2023.
Reviewing 2020's Dreamland Tomorrow, FRUK described Whitehouse as "a master craftsman and wordsmith."
Whitehouse cites artists such as The Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Elton John, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, eels and John Grant as among his influences.Robertshaw, Spencer. "Dan Whitehouse : Interview", Penny Black Music, UK, 27 August 2012. Retrieved on 22 September 2014.
A series of live theatre-based performances, which included between song narration created by John, was followed by an album of the same name featuring guests John Elliott, Chris Cleverley, Kim Lowings, Gustaf Ljunggren, Nicole Justice and Lukas Drinkwater. The double-album was described as a "splendid example of storytelling."Jeffries, Dai. "DAN WHITEHOUSE – Voices From The Cones (WTK 002)", Folking.com, UK, 12 October 2022. Retrieved on 14 November 2022.
Described as being "reminiscent of Ewan MacColl’s radio ballads," the recording of the song cycle reached No.38 in the UK Official Album Downloads Chart and No.15 in the UK Official Folk Albums Chart.N/A. "Official Charts: Voices From The Cones" Official Charts, UK. Retrieved on 26 February 2024.
The album was described as "mesmerising and hypnotic ... a beautifully crafted piece of work" by Music RepublicBest, Steve. "Reviews Zone: Max ZT & Dan Whitehouse: Ten Steps (Want To Know Records) Out Now" Music Republic Magazine, UK, Autumn 2023. Retrieved on 26 February 2024. while FolkRadio UK (now KLOF) described the album as "deeply intuitive, poetic and rewarding" - listing it as one of the Folk and Alternative Albums of the Year.Gallacher, Alex . "Top 100 Best Folk & Alternative Albums of 2023" FolkRadioUK (now KLOF), UK, 18 December 2024.
| 2009 | The Balloon EP | CD/Digital | Tiger Dan Records | |
| 2009 | The Bubble EP | CD/Digital | Tiger Dan Records | |
| 2009 | The Box EP | CD/Digital | Tiger Dan Records | |
| 2014 | Still (with Anja McCloskey) | CD/Digital | Sotones Records | |
| 2014 | Reaching Further for a State of Mind | Digital | Tiger Dan Records | |
| 2016 | EP1 | Digital/CD | Reveal Records | |
| 2016 | EP2 | Digital/CD | Reveal Records | |
| 2016 | EP3 | Digital/CD | Reveal Records | |
| 2016 | Sings Boo EP (EP4) | Digital/CD | Reveal Records | |
| 2020 | Dreamland Live | Digital/CD | Reveal Records | - |
| 2012 | Dan Whitehouse | CD/Digital | Tiger Dan Records |
| 2013 | Reaching for a State of Mind | CD/Digital | Tiger Dan Records |
| 2014 | Raw State | CD/Digital | The Heantun Recording Co. |
| 2016 | Introducing (Compilation) | CD/Digital | Reveal Records |
| 2016 | That's Where I Belong | CD/Digital | Reveal Records |
| 2020 | Dreamland Tomorrow | CD/Digital | Reveal Records |
| 2022 | The Glass Age | CD/Vinyl/Digital | WTK |
| 2022 | Voices From The Cones | CD/Digital | WTK |
| 2023 | Reflections On The Glass Age | CD/Digital | WTK |
| 2023 | Ten Steps (with Max ZT) | Vinyl/Digital | WTK |
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