London based duo Neil Fitzsimon (songwriter) and Bee Brogan (vocalist), aka Fitzsimon & Brogan, create what they refer to as “pure pop for now people”.
Formerly members of the band Pretty Blue Gun, the duo has been through indie label deals, Sony licensing deals and two critically acclaimed album releases. Guest musicians on those projects includes high profile names such as: members of The Art of Noise, Dave Bronze (Eric Clapton’s bass player), Tobias Boshell (Moody Blues), Pip Williams and producer Pat Collier (Katrina and the Waves’ hit “Walking On Sunshine”). After touring nationally throughout the UK, Pretty Blue Gun’s epic run came to an end.
Fitzsimon & Brogan are now focused on their songwriting/production partnership which has already led them to song placements in film and television. This power team wrote the musical Jack Dagger which was showcased at the Greenwich Theatre, London for the Musical Futures Award, Bridewell and the Royal College of Music in London. The pair has also landed a song in a US based sci-fi feature film and one of the singles reached #3 on a download chart in France!
With such an impressive portfolio and all the momentum fueling their creativity, Fitzsimon & Brogan are just getting started. Fortunately, they took some time out of their busy schedules for a quick chat!
In this interview spotlight, I speak with Fitzsimon & Brogan about their latest project Deep Blue World, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
We’re based in London. The Style of music? It’s guitar driven pop-rock but we do move into other genres. Most of our influences, such as The Beatles, Elvis Costello and David Bowie, could not be pigeon-holed, and that’s what we’re trying to achieve also, with our music.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
We’ve both always really loved music, but it was never enough just to be a listener. We feel that you are driven to do these things and really have no choice.
How is this new release different than previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
We wanted to release an album that we hope will not have one track that is a filler. We have aimed to have an album full of potential singles. It is very rare, these days, that you can listen to an album in its entirety without skipping tracks. A couple of our favourite albums, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, and This Year’s Model by Elvis Costello, do not contain any tracks that you could consider as fillers. These albums are an experience to be enjoyed from start to finish.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
There are pros and cons with the internet. Yes, it is easier to get your stuff out there, but in a way, it’s just as difficult, if not more, to get noticed, with the deluge of music out there. We have been lucky that we have found a good publisher/record label, WTPL and MTS Management, who have helped us to reach a greater audience.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Our website is being remodelled at the moment, but you can find us on facebook, twitter and all music portals. The website address is: fitzsimonandbrogan.com (when it’s up and running).
Anything else before we sign off?
We’d just like to thank Middle Tennessee Music for taking an interest in Fitzsimon and Brogan and our music.
