Simple Minds at the Pops
8:05am Monday 13th July 2009
DESCRIBED by The Scotsman newspaper as “one of the greatest live bands of all time”, Simple Minds are performing at Liverpool’s Summer Pops on July 21st.
“It’s a great pleasure for us to be coming back to the Liverpool Summer Pops.” Said singer and frontman Jim Kerr.
He continued, “We’re looking forward to playing our first show at the Echo Arena.”
Formed by singer/songwriter Kerr and guitarist Charlie Birchall in 1978 in Scotland from the ashes of their punk band Johnny & The Self Abusers, the band experimented with a number of styles.
Early on, they were ‘sort of’ a punk band, but from their second album they utilized some unconventional time signatures and were classed as ‘new wave’.
In the early eighties they promoted themselves; not as a Scottish or even British band, but as a European band taking their influence from Euro bands like Kraftwerk.
The band’s fifth studio album ‘New Gold Dream’ in 1982 heralded a turning point for them, thanks to a more polished sound and they then became part of the New Romantics movement. This now classic album spawned the hits ‘Glittering Prize’ and ‘Promised You A Miracle’.
Amazingly, the band’s biggest hit ‘(Don’t You) Forget About Me’ never appeared on the album that was released at about the same time.
The track had become a worldwide hit following it’s inclusion on the soundtrack of the film ‘The Breakfast Club’.
It was the success of the single that led Jim Kerr to leave it off the 1985 album ‘Once Upon A Time’, so that the album could stand on it’s own merits.
It did, it got to the top of the album charts.
Simple Minds, still with Jim and Charlie at the helm, have remained a big concert draw ever since and only last year they played to over a quarter of a million people on their sold out European and UK tours, as well as appearing at Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday Concert in London’s Hyde Park.
They have also just released a brand new album ‘Graffiti Soul’.
For the Summer Pops concert, and for their forthcoming UK Arena tour with OMD, Jim and Charlie will be joined on stage by long-standing (since 1986) drummer Mel Gaynor, bassist Eddie Duffy and keyboard player Andy Gillespie.
The band are currently celebrating 30 Years Live and will be performing songs from their classic album ‘New Gold Dream’ and a greatest hits set, which could include the likes of ‘Belfast Child’, ‘See The Lights’ and ‘Love Song’.
Another link with the Summer Pops is that Jim Kerr’s ex-wife Chrissie Hynde is also taking part on July 16th with her band The Pretenders.
When asked why he has carried on when many of his contemporaries have called it a day Jim simply says.
“Because it’s what we do. Making music and touring makes sense to us.”
Simple Minds – 30 Years Live are at the Echo Arena, Liverpool on Tuesday 21st July. Tickets are £30 and £35 and are available on 0844 847 1616.
Also from the Echo Arena (0844 800 0400), Ticketmaster, Ticketline, Seetickets, Gigantic or in person from the Box Office.
Or even online at www.accliverpool.com .
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