The harmony aspect is as big part of what the pair have built their reputation on, says Shelley, who is the “Paul Simon” of the duo. “We were watching The [Simon & Garfunkel] Reunion Concert in Central Park [New York], and we agreed it would make a great show,” the lower Blue Mountains resident says. “We both love the music and the musos we work with were excited about the idea, too.”

Shelley says he and Robertson don’t try to be the famous duo, but rather perform as much like them as they can, and talk about their history and that of some of the songs.

“We get lots of feedback from people who say they were reminded of a particular time or occasion. One old guy in Victoria came up after a show and said he was not ashamed to say he had ‘shed a tear’ during Bridge Over Trouble Waters.” 

Shelley says he sees more young people in their audiences than he expected. “When we come out after the show, I always ask a young person ‘what are you doing here?’. A lot of them say they are songwriters. One 19-year-old said he grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel.”

A vivid memory Shelley has from his own childhood is listening to Sound of Silence. “When I started playing guitar at about 13, I loved the acoustic finger-picking style of Paul Simon.”

Shelley and Robertson perform about 20 of the famous duo’s songs in their show, many of which pick themselves. “Usually we’ve got them covered,” Shelley says. Homeward Bound, The Boxer, Scarborough Fair, Me & Julio, Feeling Groovy, Mrs Robinson, and America, are among them. “We used the The Reunion Concert as a template and added a few more we thought should have been in it.”

There are two sets. The first is about 50 minutes and the second is about an hour. Shelley says they wear similar clothes to what Simon & Garfunkel wore for The Reunion Concert. Their band members are Stephen Verney Smith on guitar; Michael Allan on keys and guitar; Duncan Brown on bass, and Mitch Farmer on drums.

Simon & Garfunkel’s music remains timeless. “People can relate to the lyrics. One of the things I particularly like about his (Simon’s) writing, is his ability to tell a story in one phrase. Sometimes it’s like a folk concert with the audience singing along and dancing in their seats. It’s such a good mixture of songs. We do an up tempo like Feeling Groovy and we get the audience to join in.”

It is a celebration of the music of Simon & Garfunkel – For many of us, the sounds of our youth.