Robin Simon

For the British art historian and critic, see Robin Simon (critic).

Robert "Robin" Simon (born 12 July 1956)^[1] is a British guitarist who was a member of Ultravox, Magazine and Visage.

Robin Simon
Born	(1956-07-12) 12 July 1956 (age 69) Halifax, West Yorkshire, England
Genres	New wave post-punk synth-pop
Occupation	Musician
Instruments	Guitar backing vocals synths
Years active	1970s–present

Biography

Early career

Simon began playing guitar in a Halifax-based band, Kandahar, in the early to mid-1970s. He also met and played with future Ultravox member Billy Currie at that time.^[2] He moved to London in 1975 and later joined the punk pop band Ians Radio (later called Neo) in 1976. Neo were one of the bands on the early London punk live scene. They featured on the Live at the Vortex album and supported Ultravox several times at the Marquee club in London, before Simon was offered the guitarist position in Ultravox.^[3]

Ultravox

Adopting the stage name Robin Simon, he joined Ultravox as a replacement for Stevie Shears in 1977. Simon brought a more complex sound to the band with his use of guitar pedal effects.^[4][5]

Simon played all guitars on the Ultravox album Systems of Romance, produced by Conny Plank (of Kraftwerk fame) and Dave Hutchins. Simon pioneered the use of synthesizers that were put through guitar effects pedals, notably on the track "Quiet Men".

In early 1979, after the US tour with the band and no longer on Island Records, having been dropped by the label, John Foxx left Ultravox. Simon left some months later.

Magazine

After returning to the United Kingdom, Simon joined Magazine in 1980, replacing John McGeoch. He appears on Magazine's live album Play.^[6] After Magazine's tour of the United States and Australia/New Zealand plus a later live appearance with them in the movie Urgh! A Music War and on the German TV show Rockpalast, he left Magazine to record with John Foxx again, on the Garden album.

He played on the song "Saddest Quay", from Magazine keyboard player Dave Formula's solo album, Satellite Sweetheart, in 2009.^[7]

John Foxx

Simon contributed to Foxx's solo albums The Garden (1981), The Golden Section (1983), and In Mysterious Ways (1985). He also performed on stage during his 1983 world tour and at a special John Foxx & the Maths show at London's Roundhouse in 2010.^[8] He later became a member of John Foxx and the Maths with his contribution to the album Howl, released in 2020.^[9]

Humania

Ultravox had gone on to greater success with Midge Ure fronting the band, but when Ure left the band in 1988, Billy Currie began a short-lived project called Humania that included Simon on guitar. One song from this period was included on a compilation album, a live performance of "I Can’t Stay Long" from the Ultravox album Systems of Romance.^[10]

Discography

Neo

• Live at the Vortex (1977) (compilation of various artists)

Ultravox

• Systems of Romance (1978)

Magazine

• Play (1980)

John Foxx

• The Garden (1981)
• The Golden Section (1983)
• In Mysterious Ways (1985)
• The Golden Section Tour + Omnidelic Exotour (2001) (only the first CD)

John Foxx and the Maths

• Howl (2020)

Humania

• Sinews of the Soul (2006)

Ajanta Music

• And Now We Dream (2006)

Visage

• Hearts and Knives (2013)
• Demons to Diamonds (2015)