Simon Taylor is an established singer-songwriter from Newcastle. His forthcoming single, ‘Theatre of Broken Souls’, is a tongue-in-cheek story about working in a music venue. Simon’s laid-back songs have a folk feel with a pinch of Latin spice, drawing influence from the likes of Lou Reed, Serge Gainsbourg and Leonard Cohen, as well as his diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. John Knox caught up with Simon to discuss live shows, releasing music and more.
The last few years have been difficult for creatives. How have you been doing?
I was definitely affected by the pandemic. To start off with, I got my head down and carried on with music. I began recording in 2019 and I managed to produce two EPs, so I had things to keep me occupied. Eventually, the wheels started coming off and I stopped my medication with not necessarily fantastic results. I had a meltdown that landed me in a psychiatric ward in Majorca, tied to a bed.
Where was this new track recorded? And who played on it?
I’m lucky enough to still be able to work with my keyboardist brother, Paul Taylor. I also worked with John Hirst (drums), Ian Paterson (bass), Ziad Jabero (bass) and David Matthew Gray (trombone), who were all total pros. It was recorded at Blank Studios in Newcastle by Lisa Murphy and the sessions couldn’t have run more smoothly.
It’s a little less Latin-flavoured than I’ve come to expect from you. Is this the current course of your output?
In all honesty, yes. It is probably the general trend of my music at the moment. I think I’ve written three Latin-flavoured songs in the last five years; maybe I need to spend more time in Spain again, although not necessarily in Majorca. The music I’m looking to perform and release, going forward, might be a bit more funk-rock in style and quite fun lyrically.
Can you give us an update on when you expect it to be released?
The ‘Theatre of Broken Souls’ is out on Friday 6th September and people are welcome to check out my music out on Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music or simontaylormusic.com.
Do you have any live shows planned?
Fortuitously, I’ll be having my next gig the night of the release at Station East in Gateshead. I’ll be performing solo but I’m looking to get a band together to perform this more hard-hitting material in the very near future.
Can we do a shoutout to Help Musicians who helped finance the production of your new EP?
I would really encourage any musicians reading this who don’t know about Help Musicians to check them out. They offer all kinds of support including a 24-hour mental health helpline. I received funding from them to make this current EP and it was practically the best thing that has happened to me in my music career. I also attended a songwriting camp funded by them in March in Somerset which was amazing. We’re at a slight advantage in the North East if we’re artists seeking funding opportunities from the PRS, Help Musicians and national arts bodies like that. They’re actively looking to help artists from our region, so I would really encourage North East artists to apply.
And finally, what’s next for Simon Taylor?
I really want to record an EP that addresses what happened to me in Majorca with a couple of songs I wrote whilst in the ward there. I want to develop people’s awareness of mental health issues and get them to ponder whether drugging people up to the eyeballs and tying them to beds when they can come out with articulate songs is the right thing to be doing.
You can listen to ‘Theatre of Broken Souls’ from Friday 6th September on all major streaming platforms.
