Honestly at the moment things feel bleak and dark with very little sense of optimism and hope. And then Simon Robert Gibson comes along and in his vaguely naive delivery shines a soothing ray of love and hope.
His new single ‘Afterdark’ is in a way part two to the title of Monty Python’s epic ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’, but without the dark undercurrent and irony. It is delivered on a shimmering acoustic bedrock and the most thrilling trumpet riff from Jeff Crawley since Burt Bacharach, with Gibson’s vocals raw and unadulterated, direct and filled with empathy and hope. He says:
There’s a lot happening in the world that feels less than ideal. But maybe that’s always been the case, and there’s still plenty of good to be found within it. What does feel different is how much of it we’re asked to absorb and not much of that information feels positive or helpful as we try to construct interesting and happy lives. More often it creates unease, tension, division – and on a personal level, a kind of background noise that can wear you down.
It’s a beautiful sentiment delivered beautifully with lyrics that bring a tear to the eye of even a hardened old cynic like myself:
(hopefully)…all your nights go original…and all your days go with love
There’s an added unspoken poignancy to the sentiment for love and hope given I always associate Gibson and his brother Adam with surfing, and for some reason, Bondi Beach.
The accompanying video was filmed and produced by The Nishimura Art Collective, Tokyo and reflects the gentle good-natured elements of the song:
‘Afterdark’ is out now and available to download and stream via all the usual sites, and though the link below. A new album is on the way.
Gibson is a perfect example of the Marrickville Sound. A well-known figure in the Sydney indie music scene, he 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.
