Norman Cook, who is known by his stage name Fatboy Slim among many other aliases, has topped the charts, winning numerous BRIT, Grammy and MTV Awards for his music as well as setting records for the big way he takes to the decks.
Before he became revered for his floor-filling tunes, Cook played bass for the indie-rock band The Housemartins in the late ’80s.
In the ’90s, he got into producing and started experimenting with bassline, dub, house and reggae. By 1996, he’d adopted name Fatboy Slim and released the album Better Living Through Chemistry.
His second album – You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby – arrived two years later and saw him break through all over the world. Not only did it peak at No.1 on the UK albums chart, but it spawned four huge singles: Gangster Tripping, Praise You, The Rockafeller Skank and Right Here, Right Now. That album was also certified four times platinum and led to Fatboy Slim taking home his first BRIT Award for Best British Dance Act in 1999.
In 2000, Fatboy Slim’s third record Halfway Between The Gutter And The Stars came out, followed by Palookaville in 2004. That spring he played a free gig on a Rio de Janeiro beach to an estimated 350,000 fans.
Fatboy Slim won an Ivor Novello award for his contribution to music in 2007.
Throughout the ’00s and ’10s, often donning a Hawaiian shirt, he held numerous club residencies and made many unforgettable live performances playing festivals, stadiums and even boats. In late 2016, Fatboy Slim decided to go even bigger by creating an in-the-round experience, where huge venues like arenas are essentially transformed into nightclubs.
In 2017, he played a big set at Reading & Leeds. Not satisfied with providing just listening and visual pleasure, Fatboy Slim promised festival goers they would “eat my set” because he’d added taste to his live experience. That year he also released the hit club tracks Where U Iz and Boom F**king Boom featuring Beardyman.
Fatboy Slim took his in-the-round experience on a headline arena tour in 2019 and broke records including the biggest capacity DJ event ever held at The SSE Arena, Wembley.
In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Fatboy Slim started streaming from home unveiling a series of 20 lockdown mixes every Friday during the summer. As part of the mix series, he also released his Back To Mine groove collection.
In 2023, Fatboy Slim celebrated the 25th anniversary of You've Come A Long Way, Baby by announcing plans his Loves Summer tour for 2024.
