SIMPLE MINDS celebrate 40 iconic years in music by embarking upon a major world tour, which should have been this year but the date has now been rescheduled, for the second time, to later in 2021. In the meantime we can enjoy the release of a bunch of old and new material which is out now. As we’re sat in the office writing this, staring at our vinyl copy of LIFE IN A DAY, we’re seriously counting on fingers those years. We can’t believe 40 have passed since its release. The reason is clear, the songs are just as fresh and relevant now as they were back in the day.
On having to reschedule for a second time, Jim Kerr said……….
“The frustration of having to reschedule these live shows a second time is huge. We are determined to make even more effort for you all once these shows can go ahead. In the meantime we ask all of you to keep your tickets – and keep the faith! We guarantee our live shows will be worth the extra wait… Thanks to you all”
1. Someone (3:40)
2. Life In A Day (4:00)
3. Sad Affair (2:45)
4. All For You (2:50)
5. Pleasantly Disturbed (8:00)
6. No Cure (3:41)
7. Chelsea Girl (4:33)
8. Wasteland (3:45)
9. Destiny (3:39)
10. Murder Story (6:19)
That’s a bunch of great songs there. Of course, it’s the stuff that followed which gave the band their biggest hits, but the die hard fans will always go back to that first album, which spent six weeks in the UK LP charts. The title track and “Chelsea Girl” were issued as singles. Take a look at the video here. CHELSEA GIRL
Since that album, SIMPLE MINDS journey has been nothing short of remarkable. Constantly evolving, the band’s rousing choruses and booming atmospherics made them one of the most iconic bands of the Eighties. Along the way, they’ve landed five UK number one albums, topped the singles charts on both sides of the Atlantic. They sold a mind -blowing 60 million plus albums and packed stadiums the world over.
Then of course, there’s that movie and single. DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME.
The band had announced details of the tour’s European dates, which covers 38 shows across 12 countries and culminate with a homecoming show at Glasgow’s SSE Hydro. Most importantly for us however, they get to the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on the newly rescheduled date next year. The band are fronted by founder members Jim Kerr (vocals) and Charlie Burchill (guitar). The sound is better than ever but the band are different. Everything we love about SIMPLE MINDS remains only now, with an added dimension.
Jim told us………………..
“Simple Minds are different now,”
“We’re not a stock rock band, but we haven’t changed our line-up to be cool. We’ve done it because it’s great to have so many amazing players on board. I’m grateful for the career we’ve had, but I’m mad enough to think we can still hit new levels. This is what we do – write, record and play live.”
Charlie said…………
“The perception that we’re now gathering pace is down to our attitude to playing live.”
“There have been lots of different incarnations of Simple Minds, but we’ve always kept our identity. A legacy can be a burden if you allow it to be. For us, it’s been empowering.”
SIMPLE MINDS are not only marking their 40th anniversary celebrations by hitting the road, we also have the recently released, career-spanning compilation ‘40: The Best Of – 1979-2019’. It pulls together the early fan favourites with their era-defining hits and their essential recent material. The collection also includes a gloriously euphoric new track – a cover of King Creosote’s celebration of weekend revelry ‘For One Night Only’. In addition, the new live album ‘Live In The City of Angels’ is also out now.
They also have a new book out soon, and there is a brilliant ‘Special Edition’ you can get.
HEART OF THE CROWD is an official oral history of Simple Minds, mixing over 800 fan anecdotes with those of band members and other collaborators and with an introduction written by Jim Kerr. The book also features never before seen photographs, collectable memorabilia and fans pictures capturing their live performances.
The Special Box Edition is limited to 1,000 copies only and are all individually numbered.
The Box Edition comes complete with bonus items including:
- Limited Edition Certificate of authenticity each numbered from 1 -1000
- Two rare early black and white photos, signed personally by Jim and Charlie
- A plectrum made for Charlie for the 2020 tour
- Simple Minds 40 Hits tour VIP pass with lanyard
- Simple Minds 2020 fridge magnet
- Sticker Sheet with 24 badges
- Replica Saturday Night Live Simple Minds ticket from 1985
- Replica Simple Minds BBC Radio In Concert ticket from 1979
- Replica Mars Bar Club flyer from 1977
- All presented in a box with artwork
The book is out on 5th December in Hardback £45.00 and that Special Limited Box Edition £85.00. It is absolutely massive though at 576 pages. Christmas pressie material we reckon. If you’d like more details on the book, go here HEART
We are still waiting for confirmation on this, but the original support for the tour was to have been OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark). We know the guys are playing some European date with Simple Minds, we can only hope that extends to the UK leg of the tour.
With a string of hits as long as your arm, if ever there was a way to kick off a Simple Minds gig then this would be it. We’ve seen the guys a few times now and you really don’t want to miss their set.
This has been a great decade for Simple Minds. In 2014 they claimed the Q Inspiration Award, which was followed by an Ivor Novello in 2016. And when last year’s ‘Walk Between Worlds’ album crashed into the UK charts at number 4, it represented their highest position in 23 years. No wonder that the Manic Street Preachers, Moby, Primal Scream and many others cite SIMPLE MINDS as a vital inspiration. We think it was Jim’s hair back in the day (sorry Jim)…….
SIMPLE MINDS get to the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on the new date of Thursday 26th August 2021. Existing tickets are valid and you can get yours from the Box Office on 02920-224488 here. SIMPLE
