Stephen Dalley Smith is a proper grown-up architect in real life. However, his alter ego is far less respectable. With a guitar-buying habit bordering on the obsessive and a penchant for festival hippy-chic, put him on a stage and Stephen’s rock-god superpowers come to life.
SDS – as he’s affectionately know – is front man and guitarist of Psych-Rock outfit I Smell Burning. He first joined Brian for a duo performance at a charity fundraiser in Bath. And It was immediately clear that their onstage chemistry had to be harnessed for a Band named Brian.
Stephen then took the stage with Brian and violinist/bassist Rob Whale for ‘Making a Song & Dance’ at Bath Fringe in 2023. And there was no going back. Now a regular fixture, Stephen’s charismatic axe-man antics are set to become a firm fan favourite.
When not drawing houses or wielding a guitar, SDS can regularly be found in a field. This may be on a farm in Somerset or in the rolling hills of Monmouthshire. In which case, you may be hard-pressed to get anything coherent from him. Alternatively, he can be seen wearing (near-)whites, lobbing his trademark bomb-drops at unsuspecting batsmen, during a ‘friendly’ game of cricket.
Which, incidentally, is how he and Brian met. These days, Brian is a little reticent about putting himself in the way of fast-moving small, hard, red orbs. A succession of minor injuries has meant he tends to avoid the early season. At least until the Pilton party is over. After that, Brian can be found bowling his trademark beamer-beamer-wide-wide-wicket, somewhere in a field in Somerset.
And if none of that means anything to you, no matter. The main thing to know about SDS is his legendary capacity for cider. Coupled – of course – with an ear for a guitar hook and an eye for a glam shirt.