Simon Wells

Born on the mean streets of Neasden, Simon Wells taught himself to play guitar aged 16, and went on to form the seminal London punk trio Snuff.

The original Snuff line-up conquered the world in the 10 years between the mid 80s and mid 90s, travelling all over Europe, the US and the Far East before their split, upon which Simon fathered the loose collective Your Mum and dabbled with electronic music with Headstone Lane. 

Then in 2000 came Southport, the legendary and influential mod/punk/soul three-piece, whose three LPs featured a host of scene luminaries and some sharply worded classic songs with cracking melodies.

After Southport became inactive when life got in the way, Simon began exploring a more folky acoustic sound, beginning to play small solo gigs across the country. His debut solo album Crime Of The Scene was released in 2017 to an unexpected degree of critical acclaim, and Simon’s live acoustic sets began to become the stuff of legend, featuring delicate reworkings of both classic folk tunes and surprising renderings of songs from his Snuff and Southport catalogue.

Following a successful 50-date acoustic tour of Eastern and Western Europe in the autumn of 2023, Simon released his long-awaited second solo album, Blankets, to considerable critical acclaim. 

The success of Blankets spurred Simon onto a new creative streak, leading to his second album of 2024, Perpendicular Universe. This contained not only more of the covers which had become live favourites at his festival and tour slots, but a slew of new songs to delight fans.

Touring Europe and the UK again in autumn 2024 in support of the release of Perpendicular Universe, Simon’s live sets took on a mythical quality, attracting both fans from his old punk days and a new audience from the modern folk scene.

In between writing and recording new music for his next record, Simon will be playing in the UK and Europe this autumn, his unique interpretations of his own songs and his favourite covers showcasing his rich, rough hewn vocals and story-telling, and distinctive acoustic guitar style.

Blankets and Perpendicular Universe are both available through Crime Pays Recordings