Ladies and Gentlemen, Sid Simons Is “not singing for you”

Big things are happening for Sid Simons & The Darlings as they capped off their year in style with a sold-out Mercury Lounge show in NYC.

by guest writer Noah Berghammer

Stream: “Dead Ringer” – Sid Simons

He’s singing for every young musician in New York who’s waiting for their moment to join the greats who have come before them. What better way to commemorate that moment than playing a sold-out headline show at the iconic Mercury Lounge on East Houston in front of your family and friends? Oh, and a couple hundred other fans.

I saw Sid Simons & The Darlings play for the first time at the Bowery Ballroom back in late August, and I fell in love with them instantly. Their style as a band is down right infectious. They dance with each other on the stage, kiss each other on the mouth, and rock out in a way that just works. Whatever “it” is, they got it.

Sid Simons © Noah Berghammer — Sid Simons © Elliott Atkinson

At the time of the Bowery Ballroom show, Simons only had two songs out, a handful of Spotify monthly listeners, and a small amount of Instagram followers.

Then, as it happens in the entertainment industry, the right moment emerges, and things change – rapidly, I might add.

As Simons ran out on the stage last night, black blazer on, and a guitar around his shoulder, he has over 100,000 monthly listeners, a song with more than a million streams, and some 30,000 Instagram followers; these numbers don’t hold weight on their own, though. The real mustard that explains this captivating front-man’s moment comes from the IRL experience.

Watching Simons and his band of Jensen Gore (Bass), Zach Saffo (Guitar), Sammi Katzmann (Saxophone), Noah Boling (Drums), and Huxley Kuhlmann (Keys) play tells you everything you need to know about why this thing is working. These young rockers are polished on their instruments, fluent in their harmonies, and their focus lies in giving the audience a show to remember.

And, with a front-man as charismatic as Simons and confidence practically oozing out of him as he surfs through the crowd, or shakes his hips to the swing of the drums, you can’t help but like the guy, and remember how their music made you feel when you were there, in the room, chanting lyrics back at the stage.

Sid Simons and his band bring the type of effortless energy that is really thriving in the New York scene right now.

Check back in on him and his darlings in a few more months, I’ll be shocked if they aren’t playing bigger rooms, filled with more fans, screaming out their catchy hooks. As for now, well, I hope they sip a few drinks at Victoria Bar and bask in their moment because it’s a damn good one.

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