Simon Maggs & People Like Us

Indie / Folk

Simon Maggs & People like Us


Simon Maggs & People Like Us

Indie-folkie (sometimes protest-ie) songs draw on relatable stories & contemporary social themes, wry lyrics, occasionally with kitchen-sink drama narratives & reflections on Simon’s northern roots. 


Melancholy melodies, a little social commentary, together with catchy and uplifting tunes capture the lyrical spirit of the likes of Billy Bragg, The Smiths, Frank Turner, Martin Stephenson, Paul Heaton and John Bramwell. 


People Like Us are:

  • Simon Maggs - guitar & vocals

  • Chris Bluemel - violin & keys

  • Gary Winstanley - guitar

  • Kev Smith - bass

  • Mike Vaughan  - drums & keys

Newest Releases

Baby Boomers - Single

Child in a pedal car labeled with number 23 on a suburban street, background shows houses and a fence, text reads "Simon Maggs & People Like Us Baby Boomers."

An apology on behalf of the writer’s generation to youngsters for the uncertain world they’ve created.

Baby Boomers’ jaunty waltz rhythms, interlaced with guitar, violin and pedal steel, contrast with lyrics that tell a story of let down and a gradually dawning realisation. 

The stepladder may have been pulled up by the Boomers, here’s hoping those millennials, Gen Zs and the rest can put it back in place. 

Sorry kids, please help!!

One for the teenagers - Single


For anyone who's ever bought music from a white goods store, rented a video tape from their local cornershop or waited far too long for Boots to develop their holiday snaps.


An energetic and nostalgia ladened tale of mix tapes, Daisy Duke and of not having enough loose change for a payphone.

Previous Release

The Elusive Truth - EP

Single 1 - Josef K
Single 2 - Careful What you with for

Single 1 - Josef K

Black and white painting of a man in a suit with text "Simon Maggs & People Like Us The Elusive Truth" in white and orange.
Cover art for "Careful What You Wish For" by Simon Maggs & People Like Us featuring a minimalist beach scene with a blue sky and distant figures.

Single 2 - Careful What You Wish For

The Elusive Truth

Latest EP, The Elusive Truth, features the full People Like Us line-up.

The EP title echoes themes which run through several songs, including the title track, Josef K, Two Legs Better (now dubbed the “Liz Song” by many) and Do As I Say. 

Careful What You Wish For’s up-tempo all out indie-jangle contrasts with the acoustic Office Conversations which contemplates the familiarity, mundanity and often strangeness of workaday life.


Joy Division on the Radio’s nostalgic love letter to the North has produced nods of recognition from audiences in Manchester and beyond - “no real ale pubs just creative hubs”. But then, who doesn’t like a craft beer and a fair-trade frothy coffee?

Painting of a man in a suit with "Simon Maggs & People Like Us" and "Josef K" text.

Previous Release

The Art Of Being Alone - EP

The Art of Being Alone

Melodic and melancholy indie-folk tales of the paradox of being at the centre of everything yet part of nothing, the joys of independent music venues, of encounters in bookshops and of rockabilly tinged protest.

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