The Sound Cafe: Ken Wallis Chats With Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell Of The Starlite Campbell Band | Ken Wallis
The Starlite Campbell Band is a rockin’ English blues band that now calls Portugal home. The husband-and-wife team of Simon…
Read more“Campbell’s vocals are flawless. Infectious hooks, meaty jams, and innovative song-writing stand front and center, making Starlite Campbell Band’s Live album an exhilarating listen.” - Phillip Smith
“Simon Campbell seems like a walking encyclopaedia of classic British axe heroes. But overall his guitar sound is his own, and it's remarkable that he eschews effects pedals in search of it. The Language Of Curiosity is about well-constructed songs, infectious melodies and worthwhile words!” - Iain Cameron, Editor
“Oh My, Oh My! What a cracker this one is. I listened to the whole album at one go... Then it hit me. This is what Cream sounded like before they became super-stars” - Ian K. McKenzie, Editor
Equally at home in the recording studio or on festival stages around the world, Starlite & Campbell are curious souls, constantly asking questions and exploring new sounds, ideas and thoughts.
Quintessentially the ‘sound’ of their music is based around a very British playing, recording and production aesthetic.
Travelling poets, detectives and observers, voracious readers and lovers of inspirational situations and spontaneous happenings with authentic people.
Writing stories in song where the lyric has meaning.
To document, inform and arouse curiosity - served on a bed of musical emotion.
“Here is no sophomore slump with The Language of Curiosity. Starlite Campbell Band have stepped up their game, and their sound, taking their British blues/rock to a whole other level... A modern-day sonic boom!” - JD Nash, Editor
“[Starlite Campbell Band ] feature one of the best session guitarists and producer/arrangers from the last forty years – Simon Campbell.” - Andy Snipper
“The Starlite Campbell Band issued not one but two highly entertaining, genre stretching live albums (blues rock husband & wife duo Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell favour artistic adventure over one dimensionality.” - Ross Muir
SINGLES 2020 - 2022
Starlite Campbell Band released four singles; Stone Cold Crazy, Lay It Out On Me, Gaslight and Take Time To Grow Old from their second studio album - The Language of Curiosity.
In a zeitgeist moment during the first lockdown, Suzy & Simon released their version of a cover of the Blind Faith classic ‘Can’t Find My Way Home’ which received fantastic feedback from the media including BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 amongst other international radio.
Third album 'Starlite Campbell Band Live!' saw the single release of 'A Whiter Shade of Pale - Live!' featuring Josh Phillips (member of Procol Harum) on Hammond organ who toured with Starlite Campbell Band.
“This was the real deal, scintillating stuff… Simon Campbell and Suzy Starlite are mad for the music, and mad for each other – and their enthusiasm is infectious. And then – and then, folks – they close out with ‘Walkin’ Out The Door’, the opening track from Blueberry Pie. And this slice of mid-Sixties style soulful blues, with some wah-wah atmospherics, gradually morphs into Led Feckin’ Zeppelin, the riff tipping the hat to the likes of ‘How Many More Times’ while Starlite channels John Paul Jones with an increasingly mountainous bass line. And Campbell goes into mad axeman mode, conjuring up a howling guitar interlude with the aid of an old-fashioned echoplex box of tricks – real analogue tape, boys and girls – ahead of an echo-laden solo. Greta Van Fleet eat your juvenile hearts out.” - Iain Cameron
— Blues Enthused, UK
INTERVIEWS
GIMME 5 -THE STARLITE CAMPBELL BAND TAKE US ON A MUSICAL ODYSSEY
Gimme 5 - The Starlite Campbell Band take us on a musical odyssey | Iain Cameron
As their recently released album, Starlite Campbell Band Live! demonstrates, Suzy Starlite and Simon Campbell can do a classic British rock sound with the…
Read moreADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND
Interview by Graham Munn for Blues in Britain
“Curiouser and curiouser!” cried Alice in the second chapter of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, written in 1865. It’s a musing that Graham Munn could well have uttered ahead of his…
Read moreSTARLITE CAMPBELL BAND: TRUE LOVE RULES
Interview by Marijn Ooijman for de Blueskrant [translated from Dutch by DeepL]
He is an accomplished musician and music producer who worked with Big Jim Sullivan and Derek Lawrence at Island Records in the 1990s. She was once the 'fastest…
Read moreVALENCIA MUSIC... ‘STARLITE CAMPBELL BAND’ (NEW ALBUM AND NEW TOUR!)
Report by Rhianydd Sword, 24/7 Valencia
Starlite Campbell Band’s latest album has just been released and is called ‘The Language of Curiosity’, which is the second LP by the husband and wife duo. They were based in Valencia for a…
Read moreMODERN DAY STORYTELLERS: STARLITE CAMPBELL BAND
Cristina da Costa Brookes, in Music - PORTUGAL NEWS
With a new album on the horizon and touring back on the cards, Starlite Campbell are looking forward to a bright future.
I had the pleasure of speaking to the extremely…
Read more
Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band with a copy of Blues Matters Magazine, UK featuring Starlite Campbell Band on the front cover plus a four-page interview article
RADIO
DOWNLOADS
SESSION MUSICIANS
HUGO DANIN
Drums | percussion
Hugo Danin is one of the finest drummers in Portugal.
He has studied under some of the worlds greatest greatest players in both Spain and New York.
In 2001 he founded the school and creative centre, Atelier de Percussão and has written two drum books: 'Criatividade Ritmica' and 'The Drumming Track Concept'.
Hugo is very busy as a teacher and live/studio musician, performing with many of Portugal’s top artists, such as Mariza and Pedro Abrunhosa.
He is an endorsee of Sonor drums and Sabian Cymbals.
STEVE GIBSON
Drums
Having been signed to both Polydor and A&M Records, Steve is a fantastic musician who has worked with many great artists and has literally toured the world with the likes of Maggie Bell, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, the Icicle Works, Madeleine Bell, Buzzcocks and more recently with Larry Garner, The Norman Beaker Band and Chris Farlowe
He has known Simon for thirty years and is both a Paiste and Sakae drums endorsee.
JONNY HENDERSON
Hammond Organ | Piano | Clavinet
Jonny is a massively respected Hammond Organ player who works tirelessly on the live circuit worldwide and has toured with Robben Ford, Matt Schofield and Otis Rush
He was voted Keyboard Player of the Year in both the 2010 and 2011 British Blues Awards
In 2009 he released an instrumental funk/jazz album under his own name, entitled 'Where Did I Leave My Keys?'
Jonny has featured on all the Starlite Campbell Band's recordings to date
CHRISTIAN MADDEN
Hammond Organ | Piano | Clavinet
Christian has known Simon for many years and played on both of his solo albums, ThirtySix (2011) and The Knife (2015)
He was the co-founder of 'The Earlies' which found both critical and commercial success in 2005-2008 and now is a full time member of The Liam Gallagher Band
He features on The Language of Curiosity and 'Starlite Campbell Band Live!' albums
He says he loves touring and playing with the band and we believe him...
JOSH PHILLIPS
Hammond Organ | Piano | Clavinet
Josh began his career age sixteen playing organ on the soundtrack to Quadrophenia and he later was the keyboardist for British heavy rockers Diamond Head and has written for and/or performed with a wide range of musicians, including Big Country, Leo Sayer, Pete Townshend, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Kenney Jones, Ronan Keating, Alisha’s Attic, Midge Ure, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney and most recently Mike Rutherford, Judie Tzuke, Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart with Ron Wood
He is currently a full member of Procol Harum and has also toured with the Starlite Campbell Band
GABRIELE DEL VECCHIO
Hammond Organ | Piano | Clavinet
Born in Naples, Gabriele began playing piano at age ten going on to study at Asociación Napolitana de Jazz with Mario Insegna. In 2003 he formed ‘Sunset in Blue’ and recorded the critically acclaimed album ‘Faced to the Sun’ playing most major Italian blues festivals
In 2005, Gabriele moved to Valencia and played with Trapobana, Los Fabulosos Blueshakers, Relevo de Plata, Tonky de la Peña then becoming a member 'Los Perros del Boogie' who supported AC/DC on the Spanish leg of their world tour
He features on 'The Language of Curiosity' and also plays regularly with the band live
