Sir Simon: Indie pop with a hint of nostalgia

Sir Simon will be touring China from Sept 18 to Sept 27. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"I played in bands when I was in school, and I thought that phase was over," Simon Frontzek said. "But suddenly, nearly five years ago, I found myself doing the band thing once again, albeit in a slightly unconventional way," he added.

As the unassuming and soft-spoken mastermind behind the band Sir Simon, Frontzek, now 30, has been back in the music world for quite some time. But unlike his teen years, he operates mostly in the realm of recording music.

"I didn't find the band thing to my liking as much as many other things, so I quit," Frontzek said. "But then, I found I simply can't get away from live music," he said.

"After I distributed my self-produced recordings among close friends, many urged me to perform them live. I played, and I realized it was fun. It wasn't that intentional... it just happened by accident."

In fact, Frontzek found he grew more fond of playing live, as it means he gets together with his friends every now and then.

"I live in the Kreuzberg quarter of Berlin, but the various members are spread throughout other regions of Germany. When we have concerts or rehearsals or something, it's a great opportunity to get together."

In his band Sir Simon, Frontzek plays acoustic-like pop tunes that are simple and catchy, heartfelt and nostalgic. It's the kind of music rife with the smell of cigarettes and alcohol, of snapshots of cold urban life, which, according to Frontzek, were inspired by "books, movies, or other people's conversations".

But when you get a drink and listen to him on the dancing floor, or sit quietly on your sofa, you find his songs are tinged with a soothing effect by his voice, which evokes Sondre Lerche, Tim Kinsellas and John K. Samson.