ABOUT THE BAND
Shades of Simon present their highly acclaimed 2 hour theatre show The Paul Simon Story. The show is performed in tribute to Paul Simon as one of the best songwriters of his generation and blends an engaging narration, exceptional musicianship from the 5-piece band, and authentic renditions of the best of his songs from his time in Simon & Garfunkel in the 60’s through to his South African inspired Graceland tour in the 1980’s.
The band is comprised of professional level musicians who all share a love of Paul Simon’s music and get together over the Summer months each year to do a limited number of performances of their show at venues which have ranged from stately homes, picnic concerts for the National Trust and shows at provincial theatres and art centres throughout the East of England.
Latest News
Summer Picnic Concerts
We’re really looking forward to playing FOUR picnic concerts this Summer! They are all at stunning locations – the National Trust’s idyllic riverside Flatford Mill on the Essex/Suffolk border, the historic Ingatestone Hall mid-Essex, the Georgian elegance of The Lawn at Rochford and the National Trust’s romantic Scotney Castle near Tunbridge Wells in Kent.
The first of our picnic concerts will be at The Lawn Rochford on the evening of Sunday 12th July. It’s got a HUGE lawn and we’ll be performing against the backdrop of the Georgian Manor House. Bring your own picnic and drinks but there will be also be a licensed bar, a BBQ and a visit by an ice cream van with Rossi ice cream!
More info on all the picnic concerts here
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SIMPLE SIMON?
We cover the full range of Paul Simon’s songs from his time with Art Garfunkel in the duo Simon & Garfunkel in the 60’s right through to his South African musical influences in the 80’s. But we love the simple beauty of some of his early songs! We’ve just added one such song to our repertoire dated from 1965 – ‘Flowers never bend with the rainfall’. A simple song, not particularly well known, but such poignant lyrics! Take a listen to a snippet recorded at one of our recent concerts…. listen here
4th YEAR RUNNING…!
We’re delighted to have been asked to again play a picnic concert at the National Trust’s Flatford Mill in 2026. Really looking forward to returning for our 4th year there ( – it’s definitely our favourite venue!) Make a note of the date – Sat.26th July 2026. Previous concerts have sold out well in advance so we’ll try to get some ‘Early Bird’ tickets on sale asap! Sign up here and we’ll let you know as soon as they’re available… (Tickets now available! – click here)
SEE YOU IN 2026!
No more ‘Shades of Simon’ gigs this year as we’re now all off working on our own musical projects. But we’ll be back together as a band next April through to October with the story and authentic sound of Paul Simon / Simon & Garfunkel at some great venues. Meanwhile, look out for money saving offers on ‘Early Bird’ tickets here…
















