Edit history

A well-known figure in the Sydney music scene, Simon is best known as a drummer with his musical outings stretching way back to the thriving indie-rock years of the Sydney music scene of the ‘90s. A founding member of the much-loved Disneyfist and later Modern Giant, Simon was also an original member of the acclaimed Aerial Maps, along with his brother Adam Gibson. Along the way Simon has played and recorded with many Australian bands, with long stints in legendary Half A Cow Records soul/popsters, Sneeze, plus Lazy Susan, the Simon Holmes-led outfit, Fragile, and his own later ensemble, The Coolites. With a love of travel, surfing and adventure, Simon’s life has taken him down many a dusty road and to many a backstreet bar. This restless spirit saw him settle in Vietnam for almost a decade, a location where he found a home and where he played an instrumental role in a burgeoning rock scene whilst also working as a high school teacher and writing songs for a number of local bands. The majority of songs written in that period eventually ended up on the three releases for his surf-rock band The Coolites. The next adventure was a move to Bali to follow his other life-long passion, surfing, a location which in turn led to a whole swathe of new songs … A well-known figure in the Sydney indie music scene, Simon is best known as a drummer who has spent countless hours holding the beat for Australian bands (Disneyfist, Modern Giant, The Aerial Maps, Lazy Susan) stretching back to the heyday of indie rock in the ‘90s. In 2020 Simon embarked on his solo career with his well-received debut album The Great Ongoing. 2021 saw the release of Shined Bright The Day, followed by Same Ocean Different Sea in 2023. Earlier in 2024 Simon collected ten of his favourite songs from across those albums, plus 'Song For Gyn', a tribute to his former bandmate and partner Gynia Favot. Excitingly, These Shining Years was the first time Simon's solo material has appeared on vinyl. To coincide with the release, Simon also published a book of the same name, comprising lyrics of thirty songs. Now comes a new musical chapter for the ever prolific songwriter as he releases 'Divide & Conquer', the first of three compelling new singles to round out 2024.