Simon Taylor

Simon Taylor is a singer-songwriter from Newcastle upon Tyne in the North-East of England. His music combines elements of Latin, funk and rock with musical influences ranging from Lou Reed to Serge Gainsbourg. Having studied classical guitar initially, Simon began writing songs that reflected his love of Latin culture as well as occasionally exploring his own experiences of mental health.

​

Simon began recording his own songs with his band Simon Taylor & The Sundowners in 2011. Between then and 2016, the 4-piece ensemble recorded an album (2013's "Continental Girl") plus a single ("Hot Love") and E.P ("New York City Girl" in 2015), latterly with guest vocalist and collaborator Ivel Goverda. Critically well-received locally, NARC Magazine gave "Single of the Month" status to 2014's "Hot Love" after an earlier "Demo of the Month" review for the Sundowners' track "Real Fantasy".

​

In 2016, and following the departure of Ivel from the Sundowners' line-up, Simon began to perform under his own name, initially with the remaining line-up which included Jon Forster on drums, Jamie Shields and Dan Pietruszka on bass, Paul Taylor on keys and Simon Coleman on percussion.. His first release with this band was the 2016 single "Like You Do", which again received positive reviews locally. Following a headline performance at the O2 Academy Newcastle with the band in 2018, Simon began to perform and record his music largely solo. This ultimately resulted in Simon's 2021 double-e.p "Under The Volcano", which mixed themes of travel  and isolation within a frequently Latin-influence musical backdrop. The Latin ballad e.p single "Bolero Loco" received a 5-star review in NE Volume Magazine upon its release and was also played on Talk Radio Europe, Spain's only English-speaking radio station.

​

Simon is about to release his new upcoming mental health-themed e.p, "Survival" in early 2022. The first single released ahead of this was the moody funk-rock track "Angel Of Mercy". Now Simon has released the second single ahead of this e.p, the folk-rock song "Our Crazy Dream". This song was, in fact, inspired by a dream in which Simon witnessed the famed 60's/ 70's troubadour Tim Buckley singing the melody to this song on-stage. "Our Crazy Dream" is now available to buy on Bandcamp and stream on Spotify, Soundcloud and many other digital platforms.

"The highlight of the month's bag is the latest from Simon Taylor & The Sundowners, with a record as charming as their moniker. A delicious duet with Ivel Goverda, "Hot Love" takes a strong acid jazz influence and wraps it in an effortless mood of smooth. Think Parisian cafes on cobbled streets of fallen leaves and the beautiful people passing by. Close your eyes and you can even smell the Gauloises"

 

Michael Brown, NARC Magazine