Simple Minds - 40 Years Of Hits Tour

Scottish rockers Simple Minds are one of the UK’s most successful bands, having achieved five No.1 albums and eight Top 10 singles at home, as well as landing numerous chart-topping positions around the world. In addition to selling over 60 million albums, they’ve packed the world’s biggest venues and played momentous shows including the American leg of Live Aid in 1985 and the Nelson Mandela tribute concert in 1988.

Formed in Glasgow in 1977 by vocalist Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill, Simple Minds have experienced a remarkable journey since releasing their debut album Life In A Day in early 1979, with their second album Real To Real Cacophony following just seven months later.

But Simple Minds’ sixth, more rock-oriented record, 1984’s Sparkle In The Rain, really propelled them into the limelight. Peaking at No.1 on the UK albums chart, it featured the singles Up On The Catwalk, Speed Your Love To Me and Waterfront and opened doors to sharing stages with contemporaries such as U2. Later that year, Simple Minds broke the US market with the massive single Don’t You (Forget About Me) taken from the John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club.  

In 2016, Simple Minds released their first acoustic collection. Called simply Acoustic, it continued the band’s artistic experimentation with stripped down and re-imagined tracks spanning their eclectic career. That spring they took home an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection.

During the next two years, Simple Minds played over 150 shows around the world, including their biggest ever American tour, a 31-date trek that took them coast to coast.