Domestic Abuse, the remarkable solo debut album from Eyeplug’s very own Simon Morgan is now available from iTunes. Morgan’s songs splice the energy and worldly cynicism of punk rock to anthemic tunes with genuinely affecting melodies. In a similar literate lyrical vein to such singer/songwriters as Elvis Costello and Billy Bragg, Morgan’s lyrics delineate a post-modern kitchen-sink landscape of sexual politics, autism, alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, death, parental loss, unrequited love, requited love, and social networking.
An important new voice from the bedsitter heartlands, the evocative nature of Morgan’s descriptions of ‘players, doggers, gold-diggers, users and their pimps’ indentifies his talent for charting the topography of the heart. Packed with small-town detail, the dozen songs on Domestic Abuse represent the culmination of over 30 years of songwriting experience and stand as a vivid testament to a creative talent that has not only lived life to its fullest extent, but is also prepared to lay his often hard won experiences bare to a wider audience. ‘Johnny Rotten told me I had no future,’ he observes. ‘He was wrong . . . this is my future.’
Live, Simon has already made an impact, a recent high profile show at the Islington Academy being the latest in a series of gigs that have seen the steadily growing buzz around him gather volume and momentum. His performances are a testament to the concept of function over form, there is no artifice as he presents compelling songs, written from the heart and performed with honesty and conviction.
‘This is the best set of songs I’ve written,’ enthused Simon. ‘The destination of a musical journey from punk rock to folk.’
