Daniel Anthony McNamara (31 December 1970 in
Halifax) is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of English band
Embrace.
Early years
McNamara and his brother Richard (guitarist) grew up in the village of
Bailiff Bridge,
Brighouse in West Yorkshire, England.
Aged 11, he passed his 11+ exam and gained entry to
Hipperholme Grammar School
Hipperholme Grammar School is an independent grammar school in Hipperholme (near Halifax), West Yorkshire, England. It educates pupils between the ages of 3 and 16.
Lightcliffe Preparatory School merged with Hipperholme Grammar School in 2003 ...
. When he left school, he studied psychology at
Manchester University
, mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity
, established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Unive ...
, but eventually quit to concentrate on the band.
Embrace
Embrace are an English rock band from West Yorkshire. To date they have released eight studio albums, one singles album and one b-sides compilation. The band consists of brothers singer Danny McNamara and guitarist Richard McNamara, bassist Steve Firth, keyboardist Mickey Dale and drummer Mike Heaton. The group has released six studio albums: The Good Will Out (1998) which went to number 1; Drawn from Memory (2000); If You've Never Been (2001); Out of Nothing (2004) which also went to number 1; This New Day (2006) which went to number one spawning their most successful single to date "Natures Law", which just missed the top spot by a few hundred copies. Their sixth, and most recent album self-titled Embrace was released on 28 April 2014 and went top 5 marking a return after 8 years.
Embrace have received critical and commercial acclaim at home where they have picked up several awards and nominations including the best new band award at the
NME Brat Awards
The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of ...
, and in the US where the band were on the cover of Billboard magazine, and in Thailand where their single "You're Not Alone" stayed at number 1 for six weeks becoming the biggest selling single of that year.
Secret gigs by the band so far have involved playing on beaches and forests, and in a staged break in of the
Big Brother TV series house.
After number of 'secret gigs', Embrace had 5 gigs in Scotland in February 2014, prior to a tour of England during April/May 2014. They are due to appear at the 'T in the Park Festival' in July 2014 and 'V Festival' in August 2014.
Conditions
McNamara suffers from the hearing condition,
tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...
, and supported a campaign for the condition. In 2012 he wrote about suffering from
PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...
.
DJ
Recently, McNamara and his brother have been involved in DJ sessions. The first was at Get Loaded in the Park festival in
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
, and then on a weekly basis, as part of "Another Music = Another Kitchen" (named after a song by the
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independe ...
), at the Proud Gallery nightclub in
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
, London.
They also did a set for a special aftershow party for their gig at
Manchester Apollo in October 2006, which was opened up to the public, as well as one-off sets with Richard in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...
and
Cheltenham, and even more recently in
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into t ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamara, Danny
1970 births
English male singers
English songwriters
Living people
People from Halifax, West Yorkshire
People educated at Hipperholme Grammar School
21st-century English singers
21st-century British male singers
British male songwriters