A CELEBRATION of Simon & Garfunkel might sound like a tribute act, but it’s not what you’re thinking.

True, it celebrates one of the greatest songwriting partnerships to have graced this earth, but the stage act doesn’t follow the rules countless others follow.

There has been no casting of members. There are no wigs. No costumes. No lookalikes. No soundalikes.

The duo, Tim Chu and Ian Bailey, even take turns in the roles of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel - that’s unique in this genre.

The pair are very talented and experienced singer-songwriters and their show truly is a celebration of the music they both grew up listening to.

They bring their salute to S&G to Harraby Community Theatre, in Carlisle, next month, on a tour of the north.

Tim and Ian live up the road from each other in Lancashire; Tim in Chorley, Ian in Leyland.

Tim says: "For us, our biggest marketing point would be the fact that we are two professional composers and songwriters who like Simon & Garfunkel.

"Our agenda isn’t to copy them in any way. We saw one of the leading tribute shows and I sat there and thought ‘these people haven’t watched Simon & Garfunkel’.

"Ours is an intimate show. The material is that good it doesn’t need costumes and wigs.

"The arrangements aren’t the same, but we don’t disrespect Simon & Garfunkel."

You might be surprised at how many classics you know that were written and performed by Simon & Garfunkel.

The Sound of Silence, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Mrs Robinson, The Boxer, Scarborough Fair, Homeward Bound, America, A Hazy Shade Of Winter - this list goes on and on.

"You can’t take the classics out," observes Tim. "When I put the show together I got the Greatest Hits album and said we are going to have to do all of them."

Tim and Ian met through a mutual friend, doing a singer-songwriter evening about 10 years ago, although they only started the show around five years ago.

"Someone suggested we get up and do a cover version. We did America by Simon & Garfunkel and it just gelled,” Tim recalls.

"But we left it and came back to it later. We just wanted to get it right and get the voices to blend. The vocals took a lot longer than the playing."

​It was even more of a challenge because Tim, 43, and Ian, 48, had enjoyed different musical upbringings.

“I studied music to degree level, I’m a multi-instrumentalist,” says Tim. “I was a session guitar player. I could be anywhere, in a studio, in Europe.​

“Ian came through the folk singer-songwriter route, he studied on the road, so we are from completely different backgrounds.

“I came up with some arrangements and we had to study Simon & Garfunkel without trying to rip them off.

“We’ve both done the stadium thing and we’ve had families since then. Our plan with this show was to take the arts to rural communities, where people would not usually have the chance to get out. We do this gig four or five times a month.”

Many of these gigs are sold out so it’s advisable to book now for the show at Harraby Community Theatre on April 28. Tickets priced £12 are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/harraby or from Harraby Community Centre on 01228 537831.