Meet Simon
It’s amazing how chance encounters can change the course of your life…
At Glastonbury festival, it’s the year 2000.. listening to the late night session at the stone circle where people are playing all kinds of drums and instruments in a weird tribal organic jam when a super friendly and persistent fellow Geordie ( person from my home town Newcastle) someone I had never met before or since, encourages me to play his djembe drum…”have a go man, go on…”.
Joining in. Connecting. It was great, It felt great… I was hooked…. line and sinker.
My life changed that night, thank you whoever you are! How could it get any better? Well…
In 2006 whilst wandering through Vondel Park in Amsterdam when another encounter changed my life yet further. In the distance I hear a tinkling sound together with a deep sonorous bass. It wasn’t clear who or what was creating this sound. I rounded a corner and there in front of me was a be-dreadlocked man, eyes closed in rapture, sat by the path playing his heart out on a UFO shaped instrument.
I sat down and listened, when he stopped and we shared a smile and I asked about the instrument.
Much has happened since then ! I’ve since become a musician full time – combining playing and teaching handpan and working in community/ health settings with drums. I spent many years busking, honing my craft as a live player and I’ve also done lots of weddings too all over the UK. Highlights include playing at Womad, many times at the UK’s premier Handpan festival HangOutUK, gigs in Edinburgh, Athens, the Dutch HangUut, Dubai, Goa, Australia to name just a few places – in castles, crypts and in tunnels, in Roman Forts, beach parties, a couple of raves and streets and festivals all over the UK and Europe too.
To learn more about Simon, please see Website / Youtube / Soundcloud
Simon plays the E Amara