Releases his new single
From the forthcoming album
– Release Date: 23rd April –
Genre: Indie, Singer-Songwriter
FFO: The Kinks, Sports Team, Dandy Warhols, Elvis Costello
Label / Imprint: Scratchy Records
Format: Digital Single
“Simon Bromide continues his quest to become the music-obsessed, drinking man’s songwriter of choice” Louder Than War
“Bromide may remind some of a certain mid-eighties songsmith who sought to merge an informed literary perspective with the dulcet tones of jangly pop, namely Lloyd Cole & his commotions” Backseat Mafia
“Crackles & fizzes with pure melodic energy” godisinthetv
Having released the title track from his forthcoming album Forest Mountain Forest, which enjoyed support from BBC 6Music, Radio X & Louder Than War among others earlier this year, South London’s alternative singer-songwriter Simon Bromide now releases Jean-Luc Godard Directs (Nowhere to Go) – the second single from the forthcoming long-player that’s due for release on 8th May in vinyl & digital formats.
Moving on from the ex-Bromide frontman’s highly praised debut solo album Following the Moon, there’s now a new moniker as well: Simon Bromide and The Bromides, introduced to reflect a more established band lineup for the recording of this second solo release.
Jean-Luc Godard Directs was produced by Brian O’Shaughnessy (Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Denim) at Bark Studios in North London & features several contrasting experiences woven into a narrative based on Mikhail Bulgacov’s The Master and Margarita – a book that inspired Mick Jagger’s song Sympathy for The Devil & asks the question “What would your good be doing if there were no evil, & what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?” Simon explains further: “I was also fascinated by Jean-Luc Godard’s footage of the Stones working up the song in the studio in his film ‘One Plus One’, so that’s in there as well. There’s a lot going on… & I guess that’s another fun thing about writing ‘pop songs’ – you can tie lots of random ideas together in a relatively short space of time without having to explain anything!!”
Now for a bit of history… after several band lineups in his early music career, Simon was working at a publishing company when a work colleague introduced him to a whole world of alternative acts like Sonic Youth, Husker Du, Patti Smith, The Replacements, Television, Richard Hell, American Music Club & Mark EItzel, Red House Painters, Yo La Tengo, Dinosaur Jr and many others. Around this time the name Bromide appeared after he put his own name ‘Simon Berridge’, into a word scrambler on someone’s computer & out popped ‘singer bromide’. Then, after learning that Patti Smith had self-released her own debut single (a cover of Hey Joe), Simon decided to do the same, forming Scratchy Records and releasing his debut album Iscariot Heart back in the late nineties.
Releases from other artists on the label like South London’s The Rocks, SLEAZE and Hank Dogs plus US artist Coach Hop helped to establish it, while Simon himself has consistently released his own work on the label throughout.
Over the coming months Simon Bromide and The Bromides will be doing a series of gigs to promote the upcoming album throughout London, Southampton, Swindon, Newport, Hastings & Leigh-On-Sea. Be sure to check in on their socials for further updates & gig announcements.
Upcoming Shows:
April 4th – Water Into Beer – Brockley / South London (acoustic)
April 10th – The Beehive (w/ Dulcet Tones) – Swindon (acoustic)
April 18th – SXSE x RSD @Dash the Henge – Peckham (acoustic set at 11am)
April 25th – Trash Night / Endeavour – Deptford / South London (full band)
May 8th – Dash the Henge (instore) – Peckham / South London (full band)
May 9th – Scratchstock / Old Dispensary – Camberwell / South London (full band)
May 16th – The Old Mill – Plumstead / South London – (full band)
June 6th – Plumstead Make Merry – Plumstead – (acoustic)
June 28th – Leigh Folk Festival – Leigh-On-Sea – (full band)
Connect with Simon Bromide / Scratchy Records
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Photo Credit: Ant Bradbury