Sometimes it is worth waiting for the good stuff – although starting a serious writing and performing career was as much a series of happy accidents as a considered plan for songwriter and musician Simon Lethem: “it just built from something quite modest and became unstoppable – mainly with the support and confidence from working with some really great people”.

Moving away from London and teaming up with singer Rachel Gerrard was a key moment: “I love these songs, but I realised pretty quickly that I needed a great singer if I was going to make anything serious from them. If I’m honest, I just got lucky with Rachel because I never had a moment’s doubt, nor needed to look further – she came back to me quickly and we started working together. And from Rachel you don’t just get the great voice; she is a seriously gifted musician and writer in her own right, so I feel very privileged to work so closely with her. It was a very happy day for me when she said how she’d fallen in love with the songs – especially as she said so on the radio (laughs)”.

So with the album out it became irresistible to take the songs out live: “we’re realistic – although global success is surely only a matter of time (more laughs) we know this material will get people dancing and talking, so step by step this is part of the masterplan to share some cool songs, build a base of fans and supporters, and have a lot of fun along the way. And we’re genuinely thrilled to have these wonderful musicians choose to be in the band – actually it’s quite humbling for me – they all have busy musical careers and lots of options, so their belief means a lot. I PROMISE you will NOT be disappointed when you hear us!”.

“Lessons in Life” is available on all digital channels – or contact Simon and Rachel via Facebook or the website and a physical CD including full colour 8 page booklet could be yours ...