Guy Berryman

Guy Berryman
Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, songwriter and designer, best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he started to play bass at an early age, drawing influence from the likes of James Brown, Kool & the Gang and the Funk Brothers. In 2020, he launched fashion label Applied Art Forms. Mainly inspired by utilitarian and military clothing, he works as both its creative director and designer.
Berryman joined Coldplay with Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion at University College London, where he enrolled in a mechanical engineering degree but later dropped out. The band signed with Parlophone in 1999, finding global fame after the release of Parachutes (2000) and subsequent records. He has won seven Grammy Awards and nine Brit Awards as part of Coldplay. Having sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of 2021, they are the most successful group of the 21st century.
Early life
Guy Rupert Berryman was born on 12 April 1978 in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. He was youngest son of engineer Rupert Berryman and his wife Elizabeth, whose family were merchants and factory owners in the region. Raised close to the Beveridge Park area, he said his childhood was one with "a huge sense of freedom", as he went out with friends and "just did whatever we wanted from a very young age", which included exploring the Raith Estate and the woods near it. Still during his childhood, he developed a passion for watches as well, exploring the ones his father had even though "the drawers were meant to be off-limits".
Moreover, Berryman has said that listening to Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" was a pivotal moment in his life: "I can remember being maybe six years old, having this experience. I had obviously heard music in the background, in the house and stuff, but that was the first moment that I ever connected with music on a personal level and since then I've always been a huge fan of soul music and Motown, and that's what made me become a bass player.
With his father involved in building the Channel Tunnel as a project manager, Berryman's family moved to Kent when he was around 12 years old, the same period in which he began to play bass. During his time at Edinburgh Academy, he played drums and trumpet for the school band. The lessons made him notice he was "a leftie who plays right-handed" and the bassist later founded a group named Time Out. His education was continued at Kent College, in Canterbury. He then applied for mechanical engineering at University College London, where he met Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion, eventually forming Coldplay.
Career
Coldplay
Berryman was the third member to join the band in 1997. Their college friend Kris Foof described him as "a quiet young man who had been put in 'Paris Block', the less populated block of rooms in Ramsay Hall. The rest of the band had been placed in 'New York Block', but not Guy, he was the outsider that the insiders all knew about, namely from his stockpile of musical instruments in his room". Martin affirmed having a wrong impression of Berryman when they first met: "He's not as scary as he looks [...] Everyone thinks he's moody, soft-spoken is better". Along with Buckland, they recorded a number of demos without having a drummer and, by November of that year, the trio called themselves Big Fat Noises. Champion then completed the performing line-up in 1998. Berryman later dropped out of his original degree and enrolled in a seven-year architecture program at the Bartlett, which in turn was abandoned to focus on playing bass. He worked as a bartender to pay rent.
During the Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams (2018) documentary, the bassist mentioned the marketing campaign for X&Y (2005) was a very turbulent period for the band, as they had frequent arguments, particularly between him and Martin: "I was probably much more opinionated back then, which was a huge pain in the ass for everyone, I don't know if I was trying to get away from myself or if I wasn't comfortable with myself, but I definitely had a drinking problem". When the band were asked about their creative process in an interview for The Howard Stern Show, they claimed that while Buckland is usually more optimistic to either disapprove or give his input on Martin's initial ideas, Berryman tends to be more critical, concluding that if he does not like a certain song, "there's no point in ever playing it again". Conversely, he has been responsible for starting tracks such as "Magic" on his own, which was released as the lead single for their sixth album, Ghost Stories, in 2014.
Apparatjik
Berryman formed a supergroup called Apparatjik with Magne Furuholmen (from a-ha), Jonas Bjerre (from Mew) and Martin Terefe in 2008. Their debut single, "Ferreting", served as the musical theme of BBC Two's documentary series Amazon and was included in Songs for Survival, an album released in support of Survival International. Two years later, the quartet made We Are Here (2010) available for download through their official website and appeared at the CTM Festival on the same day. In March 2011, they played at Neue Nationalgalerie, took part in the Steirischer Herbst festival, and launched Apparatjik World, an iPad application with songs fans could help them produce. After 10 different versions of the project, a final edition titled Square Peg in a Round Hole (2012) was released as their second album. On 20 March 2020, they published a song named "Julia" on YouTube. However, as Berryman has not performed with the rest of the band since 2011, it remains unknown whether or not he contributed to the track's creative process.
Business ventures
In 2019, he created collectable quarterly magazine The Road Rat along with two friends and car specialists. They celebrate classic automobiles and do not cover on-diary stories, since "each issue is meant to be timeless". Berryman runs the project from his garage, working as its creative director. In the following year, he launched Applied Art Forms, a fashion label inspired by utilitarian, workwear, and military clothing. Interviewed by the British GQ, he noted "form and function are everything and, in designing the core pieces for this collection, I was driven by the need to create clothes that were the consummate expression of great design and perfect fabrics". The bassist added that he aims for longevity and creating styles that "will last and age beautifully". Instead of following the seasonal fashion calendar, Applied Art Forms makes occasional updates and additions. Moreover, they are based in Amsterdam and Berryman stated that he brings a sewing machine with him while touring with Coldplay to design pieces. Still in 2020, he co-founded Bodyhero, a plant-based products start-up. The bassist then donated part of his personal collections to Marrkt in 2022, with proceeds going to Save the Children.
Other projects
Berryman guested on Magne Furuholmen's debut album, Past Perfect Future Tense (2004), along with Champion. He played bass on the subsequent A Dot of Black in the Blue of Your Bliss (2008) as well. In 2007, he wrote "Guy Romance Theme" and co-wrote "Bass Theme" for the soundtrack of The Longest Night in Shanghai. His most notable hobby throughout the years has been photography, which included taking candid photos of his bandmates with disposable cameras on the Twisted Logic Tour (2005–07) and throwing them to attendees. He then provided pictures for the booklet of a-ha's ninth album, Foot of the Mountain (2009). Accompanied by Rik Simpson, the bassist founded a producing duo called The Darktones and contributed to Love You More (2010) and You&I (2011) by the Pierces. Berryman played instruments like the guitar, glockenspiel, omnichord, keyboards and percussion on the latter record. He also produced James Levy & the Blood Red Rose's Pray to Be Free (2012) and Hudson Hank's DayBreak (2013). During Music of the Spheres World Tour (2022–24), he curated a photo diary for NME and shot pictures for the concert run's official book.
Musical style
With a style described as "slick" and "relaxed", Berryman is usually seen using different models of a Fender Precision Bass, including editions such as Squier, Mustang, Jazz and Jaguar. The latter was used during the recording sessions for Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008). He mentioned the first "proper" bass used after joining Coldplay was a Rickenbacker 4001, which can be seen on the music video for "Shiver". In 2003, his gear included two Ampeg SVT amplifiers, two 15" cabinets, one 8"x10" cabinet and a Tone Bender pedal for distortion. In 2012, it was reported he bought a custom-made Hiwatt bass rig. The 200-watt amp head was hand-built in the United Kingdom and paired with a 4x12 cabinet, loaded with Fane speakers. When asked about his musical taste, Berryman stated that while it was "hard to condense it down", he "could not live without the Beatles or Motown". Additionally, he affirmed being inspired by artists such as James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Kool & the Gang and the Funk Brothers.
Personal life
According to The Times, Berryman has an estimated wealth of £113 million as of May 2022. He is a known supporter of Raith Rovers, showing interest on photography, fashion and electronic gadgets as well. After six years of dating, he married interior designer Joanna Briston in 2004. The couple filed for divorce three years later, but remained "very much in each other's lives" while raising their daughter. In 2014, he became engaged to Dutch model Keshia Gerrits after dating her for two years. They have two children and live in the Cotswolds, where Berryman owns a workshop to restore rare cars collected over the years.
Before refurbishing automobiles, he took flying lessons and wanted to repair a Spitfire and a Tiger Moth, but eventually got bored of the idea. He is also a collector of synthesisers, cameras and watches: "I'm a completist when it comes to collecting, so I have to restrain myself [...] At least with cars you have to have space to keep them all in. But you can get a lot of watches into a drawer". In 2020, Berryman founded Dawghaus, an online catalogue aimed at curating "the best in design" and promoting already established creations along with the others he thinks that deserve "more attention". He is the only Coldplay member to have a separate social media account.
Discography
With Coldplay
Parachutes (2000)
A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
X&Y (2005)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Ghost Stories (2014)
A Head Full of Dreams (2015)
Everyday Life (2019)
Music of the Spheres (2021)
With Apparatjik
We Are Here (2010)
Square Peg in a Round Hole (2012)
Solo credits
Past Perfect Future Tense (2004) – bassist
"Guy Romance Theme" (2007) – writer
"Bass Theme" (2007) – co-writer
A Dot of Black in the Blue of Your Bliss (2008) – bassist
Foot of the Mountain (2009) – photographer
Love You More (2010) – producer
You&I (2011) – producer
Pray to Be Free (2012) – producer
Daybreak (2013) – producer
See also
List of people associated with University College London
List of British Grammy winners and nominees
List of best-selling music artists
List of highest-grossing live music artists
List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
List of Billboard Hot 100 number-ones by British artists
Notes
References
Further reading
External links
Coldplay Official Website
Coldplay on AllMusic
Apparatjik Official Website
Apparatjik on AllMusic
1978 births
Living people
20th-century British guitarists
20th-century Scottish male musicians
21st-century British guitarists
21st-century Scottish male musicians
Alternative rock bass guitarists
Alternative rock keyboardists
Alumni of The Bartlett
Alumni of University College London
Apparatjik members
Atlantic Records artists
British alternative rock musicians
British male songwriters
Capitol Records artists
Coldplay members
Good articles
Parlophone artists
People educated at Edinburgh Academy
People educated at Kent College
People from Kirkcaldy
Scottish bass guitarists
Scottish businesspeople
Scottish fashion designers
Scottish keyboardists
Scottish male guitarists
Scottish male songwriters
Scottish multi-instrumentalists
Scottish photographers
Scottish pop guitarists
Scottish record producers
Scottish rock guitarists