Issue 49 / October 2014

16
Bido Lito! October 2014
Words: Josh Ray / @Josh5446Ray
Photography: Brian Roberts / brianrobertsimages.com
These days, anyone with an acoustic guitar and an internet
connection can pass themselves off as a singer/songwriter.
With a seemingly endless abundance of ten-a-penny musicians
clogging up gig listings, SoundCloud and even the high street, it
has become increasingly difficult to find recognition amongst the
masses. However, real talent has a habit of rising to the top, and
the recent successes of Simon Maddison – also known as SILENT
CITIES – are a case in point.
With this talent comes a real sense of individuality, a stamp
that helps Simon to characterise everything he does. The stark,
chilling imagery of 1920s expressionist German cinema (think
Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Robert Wiene’s The Cabinet Of Dr
Caligari) is a perfect fit with the trademark Silent Cities sound:
glassy, bruised and melancholic. There’s a Jeff Buckley-esque lilt
to it as well, which draws in those who are perhaps put off by
this visual construct. Simon’s striking falsetto singing style and
refreshing humility in the face of praise have also helped win him
the attention of a host of radio presenters, as well as his outsidethe-box
songwriting, which holds a flagrant disregard for the
blueprint strictly adhered to by many of his contemporaries.
This approach made things quite difficult for Simon when he
first started his foray into music. “I found working with bands really
hard at the start, trying to get that style that I wanted because it
was just weird shit, really.” Spurred on by the drummer of one of
the many outfits in which he first cut his teeth, Simon started a
project entirely of his own making back in 2010. “I felt I wanted
to do something where it was just me and no-one else but I’d try
to have a big, big sound. There are a few artists like that: Bradford
Cox from Deerhunter, who was one of the big influences.”
Taking its name from a track off Patrick Watson’s Just Another
Ordinary Day LP, Silent Cities began as a series of bedroom
bidolito.co.uk
experiments that provided Simon with the creative freedom he
had long desired. “I’ve never been able to write with other people,
I’ve always had to be very introvert with it,” he explains. “I’ve got
all my equipment set up and I’ll just go in and sit down and have
a little muck around. A lot of it just came from that really, just
random sounds, random sections that slowly amalgamate.”
After about a year Simon was able to turn these experimentations
into his first release, the Dream EP and, although it fitted much
more firmly within the confines of the folk aesthetic than his later
work, it still exhibited early signs of his unorthodox approach to
music. “I try not to be like anyone else but it is quite challenging.
I think that did trigger the more leftfield approach; I didn’t want to
be twee at all,” admits Simon.
It was around that time that Silent Cities began its fruitful
relationship with the multi-faceted Rebel Soul enterprise. “They’d
been going for about a year or two,” recalls Simon, “but they
were just starting to get into the wild stuff with Brazilica and the
Voodoo Ball and all that.” Under their stewardship Simon was able
to flourish, and he soon found himself in the midst of a whole
network of like-minded creatives. “It’s given me the insight into
[the process of] how to work as an artist. It’s not all competitive;
it’s a community that benefits the arts in all forms.”
As Simon integrated himself into this community he gradually
began to open up the Silent Cities project to other musicians.
“It’s taken me ages to get a group together,” he explains. “People
have been saying for ages that I need to get a backline but I
didn’t want drums and guitars and a typical kind of set-up.” The
kind of backline Simon required came in the form of Luke Moore
(Operation Lightfoot) on cello and Chris Cousineau on percussion.
“I think they bring something to it, but largely I like to keep
control of it,” Simon remarks. “From past experiences I know I
need to be the one in control, but I do allow open discussion so it
is a democracy in the group – I think even they see themselves as
session musicians who are slowly coming to join the fold.”
With Luke and Chris on hand to add colour and dimension to
Silent Cities’ live show, Simon sought the help of Mario Leal to do
the same in the studio. Working with the highly-revered producer
– best known for his disparate work with Mumford & Sons and
the Tea Street Band – Simon was able to refine his sound on the
Eigenlicht EP. “Mario is like an artist in his own right in the studio.”
notes Simon. “He’s into Boards Of Canada and stuff like that – a
lot of really wild, wacky stuff – and he’s just kind of bringing the
two sides together.”
With his debut album Mdina – named after Malta’s “silent
city” – in the works, Simon is looking to further his studio
experimentation with Mario, whilst trying to ensure his music
remains accessible. “It will go a bit leftfield, but at the same time
it will be quite a commercial album,” he explains. “We’ve filtered it
down to about six tracks, but then we’ll have interludes between
them, which is going to be mainly written by Mario but using me
and all the stuff I’ve got in the studio.”
As well as working on his debut LP, Simon has been busy
working with the formidable songstress Natalie McCool on a joint
venture alongside the award-winning film company Clockwork
Arts. “We’re combining both our sounds down the middle: noone
is overbearing, so I’m really excited about that,” Simon adds,
evidently enthused about the collaborative process. “The video
itself is going to be really surreal and trippy.”
Silent Cities play Sound Food And Drink on 18th October, as part
of the Oxjam Liverpool Takeover.
silentcitiesmusic.com