Keeping it Simple after 30 years

Simple Minds head out on the road later this year to celebrate their 30th anniversary, including a gig at Birmingham's NEC Arena.

But while singer Jim Kerr can look back on massive gigs in front of tens of thousands of fans, it's some of the smaller venues from the early days that stick in his mind.

"Live Aid, the Mandela concert, they stand out but sometimes the best ones were the backwoods of wherever, where you just got a feeling that 'This is happening'," he says with his Glaswegian burr.

"I remember playing JB's in Dudley in 1979. I remember the first time coming to the Odeon in Birmingham, supporting Magazine, and thinking: 'It's a huge venue', and then the Wolverhampton uni gigs."

The early years were notable for an experimental, electronic style, with Kerr referencing influences such as Lou Reed, Roxy Music and Peter Gabriel.

"I think we still have our roots tied to that," he says.

He also mentions the influence of "Boy". At first I'm confused and think he is referring to the 1980 debut album from U2.

In fact it's the only time during our conversation that his Scottish accent wrong-foots me . . . he is actually referring to one "David Boy", creator of 70s classics such as The Jean Jeanie, Ziggy Stardust and Life on Mars!

Simple Minds' appearance at Birmingham NEC on Friday, November 28, will see them performing their breakthrough album New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84) in its entirety, as well as a collection of their greatest hits and some rarely-played earlier songs.

New Gold Dream, which Kerr has described as the band's most creative album, featured the hit singles Promised You A Miracle, Glittering Prize and Someone, Somewhere in Summertime.

The group went on to score a string of top 20 hits, including Don't You (Forget About Me), Alive And Kicking, She's A River and their only UK number one, Belfast Child.

With 15 studio albums (including five number ones) under their belts, and a new one on the way, it's a good time for Simple Minds to look back at an extensive body of work.

Kerr says: "We'll be taking a trip through everything, something from every period. It's always a tricky one keeping the different types of fans happy and including the obvious ones and the ones they're expecting to hear."

When asked about Simple Minds' place in music history, he replies: "It's a wee bit overwhelming. We're just happy to have made music for 30 years, I'm really delighted with that.

"First and foremost we've always seen ourselves as a live band. Crucial to a great live performance is energy.

"Great live bands have that added energy, not just jumping around, but something more."

• Simple Minds bring their 30th Anniversary Tour to Birmingham NEC on Friday November 28.

• Ticket Hotline - 0871 424 4444, www.ticketline.co.uk. For further information, visit www.simpleminds.com.

By Ian Harvey