Simon Drake.

Simon Drake first dazzled audiences, with his own unique style of magic and illusion, in Kate Bush's award winning tour for which he co-devised the visual elements and played seven characters. He has worked across a very wide range of the industry, from Shuji Terayama’s Tenjo Sajiki theatre in Japan to the Royal Variety Show at the Palladium before HRH The Queen Elizabeth II.

He advised Nic Roeg for the film Castaway, with the delicate task of
coaching Oliver Reed in sleight of hand and was magic advisor to Harvey Keitel on ‘Fairy Tale, A True Story’.

Simon has also made numerous TV appearances both in the UK and abroad. In his two series of the highly acclaimed ‘Secret Cabaret’ for Channel Four, he won an international cult following as one of the most original, creative and shocking illusionists in the world.

As the sardonic dungeon master with bull whip, chainsaw and long bloodied knives, Drake shocked and splattered with a despotic assault of the senses - decapitation, amputation and even a sawing in half...of the magician – from head to toe!!

Simon has toured extensively around Europe and USA with the groups: Camel, Madness and Julian Lennon. He was the first (and so far the only) British illusionist to go out live on coast-to-coast American TV in his special ‘Raising Hell’ in which he co-starred with heavy metal band Iron Maiden. The same month he performed magic to Strauss with Carl Davis and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Simon has performed twice as a special guest with The Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the London Coliseum. He has headlined at festivals and tours in Canada, New Zealand, Europe and in the UK and has had residencies at many of the most prestigious London nightclubs as well as a month as special guest in the exclusive cabaret at The Casino in Monte Carlo, Paris and Dubai.

Six years ago he opened his own 4000 square foot venue ‘Simon Drake’s House of Magic’ in a secret central London location, specialising in light-hearted amputations and decapitations of senior executives for corporate events and private functions. 2 years ago, due to public demand, he opened its gates to the public for occasional open evenings (full details can be found on his website).

Simon was the magic and effects advisor to Cameron Mackintosh for The Witches of Eastwick, He has acted as a consultant for many projects including a special two month Archers promotion for UDV and for a new horror exhibit for Madame Tussauds in New York.

Credit Suisse First Boston, EMI Records, Guinness, Hasbro, Lehman Brothers, IPC Magazines, Reuters, Microsoft, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Motorola, One 2 One, Orange, BT, Excel, GCI Financial, Mondex, Nokia, Xansa Recruitment, Phillips, Pfizer, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson, Grants Whisky, BT, Citroen, Sony, Dynergy and many more.

Clients Include:-  

Diana Princess of Wales, HRH Princess Margaret, HRH Prince Andrew, HRH Princess Hamidah of Brunei, HRH Prince Khalid Bin Alwaleed, Sir Fredrick Ashton, Elton John, Phil Collins, Dave Gilmour, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Meatloaf, Michael Kamen, Peter Gabriel, Steve Miller’ s Abracadabra, Tina Turner, Darryl Hall, Bill Wyman, Alexander McQueen, Terry Gilliham and Rudolph Nureyev.

To read and see more of Simon Drakes past and present, visit his website at  www.houseofmagic.co.uk