From basement to Boomtown: an audio shop making waves

From hiring out speakers to supplying stage equipment for festivals, a former freelance sound engineer from Tivetshall St Mary has built his own audio empire in little more than a decade.

For Simeon Playford, hiring out his own equipment led to a crossover into retail which has seen his business, Simply Sound & Lighting, go from strength to strength.

“The start of the business came from hiring equipment for events, we realised we had a surplus of equipment and began selling some,” said Mr Playford.

“It was just me for two years, and I was doing all my work out of a farm building in Carlton Rode.”

Now, Simply Sound and Lighting has around a dozen employees, three warehouses in Diss and an overflow warehouse – offering sound and lighting equipment and installation services for an impressive client list; from the BBC to Boomtown Festival as well as many local schools, DJs and event venues.

“The business has been expanding every year as we add more brands and products, guided by my our business mentor Peter Hawes, who has always said to keep aiming for growth.”

Like any business reliant on live music events, the current pandemic has forced the company to adapt, and a boom in personal audio equipment has offered an unexpected lifeline.

“In April, we saw a massive upsurge in DJ turntables, home broadcasting devices and studio recording equipment, which we really weren’t expecting,” said the 32-year-old.

“We saw a large increase in orders – it was staggering. We diversified – and started stocking items like electric drum kits and webcams. Because people had been furloughed, maybe they found time to do hobbies that they always wanted to do.”

Despite weathering the storm of the pandemic, Mr Playford still worries for the industry’s future.

He said: “It’s a massive concern – not just for our business but all of our customers, especially DJs. For them, it’s been a really devastating six months and it’s only set to get worse.”