Grand West -Sunday 3 Nov -7pm SIMPLE MINDS Live

Since 1977 Simple Minds’ frontman Jim Kerr, along with his fellow band members Charlie Burchill, Mel Gaynor, Andy Gillespie and Ged Grimes have committed themselves to being of the worlds greatest live acts. 36 years on and the music of Simple Minds remains as important, vital and loved as all of their many chart topping hits combined.

As the tours name suggests Simple Minds will be unpacking and delivering all the hits and memories from each of their critically acclaimed studio albums including 1984’s Sparkle In The Rain, Once Upon A Time (1985) and Street Fighting Years, as well as the Ballad Of The Streets EP (both originally released in 1989).

The Grand Arena at GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World will play host to the band and capacity crowd keen to hear the likes of the1989 game-changer “Mandela Day”, the track that arguably played a critical role in highlighting Madiba’s contribution and sacrifice for the freedom every single South African enjoys today. “We were rocking against racism,” Kerr recalls. “Peter Gabriel did it with “Biko”, and we found our voice in a man who’s a living legend. We were young, filled with idealism and possibility. Hopefully that’s what rubbed off and helped in making South Africa a great country and one we love coming back to.”

Loved for their ballads as much as their rich, guitar-driven rock, Simple Minds has always successfully sidestepped being locked into any one style or mood. “One of the things I’m most proud of is that people say to me what Simple Minds are you talking about?” Kerr explains. “The avant-garde, the art-rock, the pop, the ambient, the instrumental group, the political, the folk, the stadium band? We’ve been on one hell of a journey. To play all those different styles, but at the same time be quintessentially Simple Minds, is an amazing thing.”

Relevant and as dynamic as they’ve ever been, Simple Minds may have a wall of greatest hits that go back decades, but what’s even more amazing is they continue to make new memories in a time that’s radically different from when they first started out in. “We’ve seen a lot, played our hearts out, and we keep coming back for more,” Kerr confesses. “The best part for me now is being able to enjoy so many of songs in the places that inspired their creation. Better still is seeing just how each has grown, just as we have.

“When we started Simple Minds, our objective was to be considered as one of the great live bands,” Kerr concludes. “We wanted to be a band that had the desire to go all around the world – playing everywhere and anywhere. We’re still living the dream and are looking forward to sharing it with as many people as possible.”