Formerly of country rock 5 piece The Dukes and blues/funk/soulsters Moses Gunn, Si Holmes has been heavily involved in the Plymouth music scene for a number of years. After some recent turbulence with the lineup and future of Moses Gunn, Si has decided to concentrate more heavily on gigging solo and developing his own unique sound.

Catching him twice in two days – supporting Lemanis at the B Bar on Friday, then in the Volksfest acoustic tent on Saturday afternoon – it is clear to see that Simon not only has a solid repetoire of solo numbers, but also a sound that has developed beyond his former group endeavours.

With an acoustic guitar, an array of carefully chosen effects, and a simple but well thought out looping system providing percussion (through guitar tapping and the legendary sound of the egg maracas), Si uses his confident vocals to drive his songs to the audience. The tunes themselves are partly reminiscent of Moses Gunn, but with a personal touch which removes them from his musical past and cements them as the basis for a solo expedition. Often adult in their theme, Si doesn’t mince words in his songs – lyric wise, what you hear is what you get.

Stand out numbers from Saturday’s set were an engaging and original version of Rihanna’s Umbrella, and a ’shut up and have sex’ ballad called ‘Tell Me With Your Body’, which had mothers ushering their young’uns out of the marquee when Si introduced it. They don’t know what they’re missing.

Si Holmes is planning a number of gigs in Plymouth and the South West in the near future, and I’d highly recommend catching him if you can. The man has a vision for the future, and it’s well worth a listen.