Biography
Scottish rock band Simple Minds have been on an extraordinary journey β from humble beginnings in post-punk 1970s Glasgow to becoming one of the UKβs most successful and pioneering bands – selling over 60 million records, achieving 6 number one albums, topping the American chart with βDonβt You (Forget About Me)β, and playing sold-out stadiums across the globe.
2022 saw the release of their eighteenth studio album, βDirection Of The Heartβ, which reached #4 in the UK charts.
Simple Minds are one of the UKβs most successful bands, having achieved five No.1 albums as well hitting the top spot in countless other territories including Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.
βOne of the things Iβm most proud of is that people say to me what Simple Minds are you talking about? The avant-garde, the art-rock, the pop, the ambient, the instrumental group, the political, the folk, the stadium band? Weβve 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.β Jim Kerr.
Simple Minds have been musical pioneers for 40 glittering years. Catching the mood of the post-punk era, when the angry sounds of 1977 were splintering into a thousand different shapes. They went on to become one of the great bands of their generation, deploying rousing choruses and booming atmospherics to provide a soundtrack that has endured.
Topping the American chart with Donβt You (Forget About Me) and in the UK with Belfast Child and selling over 60 million records, they have seen three of their 20 studio albums reach number one in the UK β Sparkle In The Rain, Once Upon A Time and Street Fighting Years β a chart-topping feat equalled by their live album Live In The City Of Light and the compilation Glittering Prize. A spellbinding touring band, they have graced the worldβs biggest stadiums, starring at Live Aid and playing three momentous London shows in honour of Nelson Mandela.
2022 saw the release of their eighteenth studio album, βDirection Of The Heartβ, hitting #4 in the UK charts.
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SEAN KELLY - LIGHT TRAVELS
Life's not fair. Agree or not, you will have heard that said more than once.
American president John F. Kennedy elaborated and is famously quoted as ...saying.
" Life isn't fair. It never was and never will be. "
Recognising fully the good luck bestowed on SM, it follows that I dwell on the fate of artists I recognise as having been blessed with insane amounts of musical talent, yet have gone without any deserved amount of reward or mainstream recognition.
That thought crossed my mind again only yesterday on receiving news of the passing of Scottish singer/songwriter, Sean Kelly.
A miniscule amount of people reading this will be familiar with Sean, or think they have come across his music. But a few who are familiar with Simple Minds tracks such as 'Spaceface', 'Too Much Television' and' Light Travels' might just recognise that Sean is credited as the composer of those songs.
Others meanwhile, who saw Simple Minds tour UK/Europe in Spring 1996, might even have witnessed Sean's charisma radiating from stage when he fronted Surfing Brides, then opening for SM.
It is said that you cannot get 'anywhere in life' without some kind of extra talent.
Alternately, it is also said that talent is not enough.
But I'm putting all that aside today.
Not everyone has to be declared by all as a 'Superstar.'
Even if, thanks to his outrageous talent, Sean Kelly will always be considered as one by me.
Rest in Peace Sean.
JK
Pic Daniele Tignino
SEAN KELLY - LIGHT TRAVELS
Life's not fair. Agree or not, you will have heard that said more than once.
American president John F. Kennedy elaborated and is famously quoted as ...saying.
" Life isn't fair. It never was and never will be. "
Recognising fully the good luck bestowed on SM, it follows that I dwell on the fate of artists I recognise as having been blessed with insane amounts of musical talent, yet have gone without any deserved amount of reward or mainstream recognition.
That thought crossed my mind again only yesterday on receiving news of the passing of Scottish singer/songwriter, Sean Kelly.
A miniscule amount of people reading this will be familiar with Sean, or think they have come across his music. But a few who are familiar with Simple Minds tracks such as 'Spaceface', 'Too Much Television' and' Light Travels' might just recognise that Sean is credited as the composer of those songs.
Others meanwhile, who saw Simple Minds tour UK/Europe in Spring 1996, might even have witnessed Sean's charisma radiating from stage when he fronted Surfing Brides, then opening for SM.
It is said that you cannot get 'anywhere in life' without some kind of extra talent.
Alternately, it is also said that talent is not enough.
But I'm putting all that aside today.
Not everyone has to be declared by all as a 'Superstar.'
Even if, thanks to his outrageous talent, Sean Kelly will always be considered as one by me.
Rest in Peace Sean.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTyiau7cJLA
Pic Daniele Tignino
DOWN IN THE PARK!
It feels good to be back working in a recording studio this week. Equally good to be once again working on what I describe as 'the puzzle' of songwriting.
When I ...say 'good,' I mean that precisely. For it would be wrong to say I was 'absolutely buzzing' or that I was 'awake at night with anticipation' in the days leading up to it etc. That would be hyperbolic.
Creatures of habit, as we all are in one way or another, it simply felt really good to back in what over the last 5 decades has become a natural environment for SM.
And as for the process involved in songwriting? Deep in concentration at one point, in fact so deep within a windowless room as to be unaware of the hours of the day passing, I 'snapped out of it' enough to find myself genuinely smiling at the realization that again, around 50 years on from when I first started thinkinging about writing lyrics, I am still getting pleasure out of messing around with words and music.
True. I would be much less enthusiastic were it the case that I had to now spend most of the remainder of my working days within a windowless room. (I feel the need to be outside for hours every day whenever possible) But our greatest reward after spending the amount of time we have boiling down on our creativity, is that we decide for ourselves how and when to go to work, and indeed when not to.
As for the pressures? Whereas performing live still brings the same kind of pressures as it always did. Not so entering a recording studio. I now find that about as much pressure as heading down to the local park where I am due to meet, sit, and chat with close friends, about something we are all passionate about. That by enlarge is what goes on when we gather with engineers, producers, musicians within the studio walls.
That's not to imply that we ever take going to work lightly though. It's as serious as all hell! And having invested our time and money in the proceedings, we want our 'pound of flesh' in return. Demanding 100 per cent from ourselves was always a given, likewise from all else who entered the studio with Simple Minds. And while the results on some days might be better than others, it's still crucial to make an amount of progress every single day.
Sure. We go there to play music. But it's not a game!
The real bonus in all of this comes in knowing that at some point in proceedings, someone among us on that day is going to say or do something that is genuinely great.
Such is the guarantee when you work with great people...And we only work with great people.
Having done so from our beginnings, whenever asked by anyone to explain Simple Minds career longevity? I never hesitate in explaining that a huge contributing factor is down to the fact that we always work with great and talented people.
Such is the way with Simple Minds.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GQS-iFCzus
pic JK
SHE'S A RIVER - DUBLIN, ST PATRICK'S DAY, 1995.
Different songs of ours evoke different memories for different reasons. Every time I hear the intro to 'She's A ...River' it immediately takes me back to March 17th 1995.
The opening night of our tour would see Simple Minds performing live in Dublin, Ireland. A highlight of any SM tour, more so though when it happened to coincide with St Patrick's Day.
The streets of the capital were buzzing that's for sure, and I had spent the afternoon with my then 3 year old son, joyfully taking in the parade.
By evening though it was time to 'get down to business' and I recall how in the dressing room minutes before we went on, that my mind wandered back to my toddler years and being taken on the boat to Dublin overnight from Glasgow, on our first ever family holiday.
I have a picture of me now standing dockside at the River Clyde Glasgow, my tiny hand wrapped around what seems a huge suitcase, already an excited traveller.
Decades later, back in the dressing room of the Point venue, situated on Dublin's dockside. I also recall dwelling a little on my great grandparents on both sides of our family. Those I had heard of but had never met. Immigrants from Ireland who travelled to Scotland...in need of work if only to survive. At this moment of writing, it dawns on me, and not for the first time, that I'm too an immigrant. Albeit on a different island. In the middle of a different sea. Reborn in another part of the world. Arriving here in Sicily at the lowest point in my life, I was also uncertain how I might survive the years ahead. (More on that some other time.)
It's the truth. Every time we go on stage, we desire to do the best we can for those who have made the great effort to come see us play. That's the deal!
But we also want to do the best we can for ourselves and for those who brought us into this world. We owe it to them.
Another thought now strikes me.
Every morning on March 17th, on the Feast Of St Patrick, Mum would pin a piece of shamrock to our school jumpers.
In doing so the message was made clear.
"You wee boys are Scottish. But always carry Ireland in your heart."
JK
SHE'S A RIVER - DUBLIN, ST PATRICK'S DAY, 1995.
Different songs of ours evoke different memories for different reasons. Every time I hear the intro to 'She's A ...River' it immediately takes me back to March 17th 1995.
The opening night of our tour would see Simple Minds performing live in Dublin, Ireland. A highlight of any SM tour, more so though when it happened to coincide with St Patrick's Day.
The streets of the capital were buzzing that's for sure, and I had spent the afternoon with my then 3 year old son, joyfully taking in the parade.
By evening though it was time to 'get down to business' and I recall how in the dressing room minutes before we went on, that my mind wandered back to my toddler years and being taken on the boat to Dublin overnight from Glasgow, on our first ever family holiday.
I have a picture of me now standing dockside at the River Clyde Glasgow, my tiny hand wrapped around what seems a huge suitcase, already an excited traveller.
Decades later, back in the dressing room of the Point venue, situated on Dublin's dockside. I also recall dwelling a little on my great grandparents on both sides of our family. Those I had heard of but had never met. Immigrants from Ireland who travelled to Scotland...in need of work if only to survive. At this moment of writing, it dawns on me, and not for the first time, that I'm too an immigrant. Albeit on a different island. In the middle of a different sea. Reborn in another part of the world. Arriving here in Sicily at the lowest point in my life, I was also uncertain how I might survive the years ahead. (More on that some other time.)
It's the truth. Every time we go on stage, we desire to do the best we can for those who have made the great effort to come see us play. That's the deal!
But we also want to do the best we can for ourselves and for those who brought us into this world. We owe it to them.
Another thought now strikes me.
Every morning on March 17th, on the Feast Of St Patrick, Mum would pin a piece of shamrock to our school jumpers.
In doing so the message was made clear.
"You wee boys are Scottish. But always carry Ireland in your heart."
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQoOvk1eAq0
I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS!
It was 1977 and we were in a punk band at the time, my pink and green coloured hair made that obvious.
As much as I loved the new experience ...that came with being in a live band, my heart would always pound, feeling as though I was being dragged into the bandβs van whenever required to play in then known to be 'heavy metal' pubs in Fife and Perth.
Justifiably so, especially as the local 'Metal Heads' might be waiting to 'give the Punks a kicking.β
Neither Glasgow Punks nor their music was being welcomed in their towns at those times, you see.
Even more so if some of the local girls took a liking to us, and they usually did.
Not so long ago I met someone in the airport lounge who made me both laugh and cringe with his recollection from one of those nights.
βI saw you in a Perth pub in 1977. Within minutes of the first song, someone started spitting at the stage, seconds later a brawl broke out. You then hit someone with the microphone stand. Man! It's the only time I ever saw beer bottles flying FROM THE STAGE!β
Come on! An exaggeration surely?
Not entirely though.
That kind of stuff happened in those days and I do remember plenty of confrontations occurring as the music played on in the background. The Marquee Club in London, and The Underground in Stockholm, certainly saw us have run-ins with bullying skinheads and those were nights I will never forget.
Yes, it could get a little scary. And God forbid that no one ever got that seriously injured to my knowledge. But it could also be quite thrilling and more a case of bruised egos if you got your ass kicked.
These days?
The memories get blurred and the old tales grow arms and legs with every telling.
Iβd quite like to have the option of having pink and green hair again though.
JK
I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS!
It was 1977 and we were in a punk band at the time, my pink and green coloured hair made that obvious.
As much as I loved the new experience that... came with being in a live band, my heart would always pound, feeling as though I was being dragged into the bandβs van whenever required to play in then known to be 'heavy metal' pubs in Fife and Perth.
Justifiably so, especially as the local 'Metal Heads' might be waiting to 'give the Punks a kicking.β
Neither Glasgow Punks nor their music was being welcomed in their towns at those times, you see.
Even more so if some of the local girls took a liking to us, and they usually did.
Not so long ago I met someone in the airport lounge who made me both laugh and cringe with his recollection from one of those nights.
βI saw you in a Perth pub in 1977. Within minutes of the first song, someone started spitting at the stage, seconds later a brawl broke out. You then hit someone with the microphone stand. Man! It's the only time I ever saw beer bottles flying FROM THE STAGE!β
Come on! An exaggeration surely?
Not entirely though.
That kind of stuff happened in those days and I do remember plenty of confrontations occurring as the music played on in the background. The Marquee Club in London, and The Underground in Stockholm, certainly saw us have run-ins with bullying skinheads and those were nights I will never forget.
Yes, it could get a little scary. And God forbid that no one ever got that seriously injured to my knowledge. But it could also be quite thrilling and more a case of bruised egos if you got your ass kicked.
On that one! Mick MacNeil, Charlie Burchill and I, all three got mildly 'roughed up' in Calgary, Canada.
To be honest, we were verging on being obnoxious and more than deserved what was coming.
Piece of advice! It's really not a good idea to get into a tussle over a game of pool - with big strong ice hockey fans who are already more than disgruntled at seeing their favourite team suck. And they really did suck!
These days?
The memories get blurred and the old tales grow arms and legs with every telling.
Iβd quite like to have the option of having pink and green hair again though.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-dpiIzYQ5g
INTO THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS!
The best things about this year for me so far?
Among them I would have to include being able to
get some decent sleep, as that is something that I missed out on... for most of last year while touring with Simple Minds.
Normally I can fall asleep almost anywhere, and I usually do.
By this I mean that I can 'crash out' for an hour or so while travelling, or even on a dressing room chair. Alternately though, no matter how comfortable or luxurious the surroundings, even when exhausted I am rarely able to sleep for more than a few hours in a hotel bed.
Iβm guessing that it is to do with a particular kind of adrenalin that starts to surge in the weeks of rehearsals leading up to the start of a tour, never fully subsiding until weeks after that tour ends.
Point being that on tour I can rarely sleep well while I'm meant to, through always feeling 'on.' Inevitably though, sleep does take hold and sometimes unexpectedly.
Embarrassingly, more than once I have fallen asleep while being interviewed. That might say more about the questions and the manner of those journalists involved. Most memorable however is that I also fell asleep during lunch with a record company boss who was known to have an ego bigger than the collective ego's of the artists whose careers he presided over. 'Falling into the arms of Morpheus' as I did on that occasion, midway through his endless 'bragging ', evidently I had pushed a crazy, angry button within him.
The result? Big Boss never invited me again. Possibly doing me a favour? Only so much I can listen to anyone ranting about expensive cars and privileged lifestyles. Truly, I would much rather share lunch - sat on a park bench - with people who believe in what I consider to be more meaningful things. I'm thinking about the types who hope that the better things in life are waiting just around the corner. Not only for themselves, but for all of us.
Such was the soothing almost lullaby effect of listening to Berenice Scott sing 'Speed Your Love', I even fell asleep momentarily during the encore section of a Simple Minds show last year. Out of sight from both band and audience, sitting in the wings of the stage I nodded off.
Had I not been suddenly awakened by the sound of the crowd's heartfelt applause for Berenice, I'm sure I would've missed out on what was left of that night's show.
Finally, just this past week I was told that I might not be getting that much sleep next year. From what I've written here you might be able to guess why that could be so?
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMZNpxKrdXk
NOT A DROP IN THE OCEAN!
There's an Arabic proverb that I like, it says all that needs to be said about people and potential and makes me feel good.
"You are not a drop in the ...ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop."
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1EIx0bc3k
Pic JK
NOT A DROP IN THE OCEAN!
Within Simple Minds we talk about 'potential' a lot.
For example, at the early stage of working on a new song and having not much to go except that ...the seed of an idea, we can decide that we are excited enough to invest our time further exploring how to make that little idea into a full blown song.
The problem is though? We already have so many ideas and never enough time to work on them all. So how to choose then what to work on and what to put aside?
The choice we make depends on various, but it's the considered amount of potential imagined that has us agreeing to justify the time or more specifically the necessary months of work involved in transforming a mere sliver of an idea, first into a song, then a record, and then often years later into a live arrangement that might get performed all around the world.
So you'd imagine that the biggest talent involved in our process is in creating ideas. Everything starts with a basic idea after all. Right?
But recognising the underlying potential of one idea over another at the earliest stage is equally crucial. Maybe even more so, if you believe that time is the biggest cost in life? There's never enough of it and so we really don't want to be wasting time on lesser ideas.
Musical ideas aside. People are often full of what you might call unrecognised potential. Unrecognised by themselves mainly in the first place, therefore unrecognised by others as a result. After all, 'if you hide your light under a bushel,' you inevitably keep your abilities or good qualities hidden from all others.
Just last week I met someone for the first time and immediately offered them a job. I don't normally walk around offering jobs to strangers incidentally. But unusually there was a vacancy available and I wanted someone whom I felt harboured much potential. That this person had it in abundance was clear.
There's an Arabic proverb that I like, it says all that needs to be said about people and potential and makes me feel good.
"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop."
JK
Pic JK
NOT A DROP IN THE OCEAN!
Within Simple Minds we talk about 'potential' a lot.
For example, at the early stage of working on a new song and having not much to go on except the ...seed of an idea, we can decide that we are excited enough to invest our time further exploring how to make that little idea into a full blown song.
The problem is though? We already have so many ideas and never enough time to work on them all. So how to choose then what to work on and what to put aside?
The choice we make depends on various things, but it's the considered amount of potential imagined that has us agreeing to justify the time or more specifically the necessary months of work involved in transforming a mere sliver of an idea, first into a song, then a record, and then often years later into a live arrangement that might get performed all around the world.
So you'd imagine that the biggest talent involved in our process is in creating ideas. Everything starts with a basic idea after all. Right?
But recognising the underlying potential of one idea over another at the earliest stage is equally crucial. Maybe even more so, if you believe that time is the biggest cost in life? There's never enough of it and so we really don't want to be wasting time on lesser ideas.
Musical ideas aside. People are often full of what you might call unrecognised potential. Unrecognised by themselves mainly in the first place, therefore unrecognised by others as a result. After all, 'if you hide your light under a bushel,' you inevitably keep your abilities or good qualities hidden from all others.
Just last week I met someone for the first time and immediately offered them a job. I don't normally walk around offering jobs to strangers incidentally. But unusually there was a vacancy available and I wanted someone whom I felt harboured much potential. That this person had it in abundance was clear.
There's an Arabic proverb that I like, it says all that needs to be said about people and potential and makes me feel good.
"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop."
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1EIx0bc3k
Pic JK
IN THE GAME OF LIFE!
βDonβt desert us in our hour of need.β
I can sometimes imagine myself saying words to that effect to people we valued and liked over the years, but who had ...come to the conclusion that for whatever reason, they no longer felt excited at the idea of continuing further in our endeavours with Simple Minds.
And the reason I can only imagine it, is because it never happened.
Should it have happened?
That is a question some might ask.
The suggestion being that with more effort to persuade otherwise, it could have resulted in less fragmentation over the years.
My response?
Not at all!
Point being that once we could sense that someoneβs heart was no longer in it 100 per cent, in turn we no longer wanted them around. βOur game was always in actionβ after all, and moving as fast as we were there was little time for sentimentality or neediness of any sort. How could there be?
Imagine being in a game when one of your teammates experiences a 'crisis' and out of nowhere, becomes full of doubts and no longer wants to contribute - all this going on while the game is in play?
That's a helluva blow to the team. But shit happens in the Game of Life. And despite the consequences, with all sympathies aside to the individual, that player has to leave the field immediately - should the team want to go on and win?
Have I always been 100% happy within my career as lead singer of Simple Minds?
Of course not.
A multitude of times I have experienced frustrations that almost overwhelmed.
Have there therefore been days when I considered that my role meant I no longer believed I was fortunate to have what for me must be one of the best jobs in the world?
No. Never. Not once. Just the way it is.
I never ever wanted to leave the field.
JK
Pic @toddevision Thorsten Samesch
Shades 22 - Out Friday βοΈ
Pre-save now through the link in bio.
The story behind βBetter With Youβ from our upcoming album βTimeβ. Who wants to hear some new music from the album? βοΈ
Letβs celebrate the 20th anniversary of βHomeβ! π #Home20
Released on this day in 2003, it not only was the bandβs eighth album but also a significant milestone in their career. ...βHomeβ was the first album the band released under their label, Simplyred.com, and went on to become the highest-selling self-released album worldwide, including hit singles βSunriseβ, βFakeβ, βHomeβ and βYou Make Me Feel Brand Newβ.
As we fast forward to 2023, Simply Red are back with their upcoming album βTimeβ, which marks their return to @warnermusic, the label that helped launch their career back in 1985.
Just Like You - from the new album 'Time' by Simply Red βοΈ
Pre-order through the link in bio.
Follow the official Simply Red playlist on Spotify to listen to their latest releases and greatest hits all in one place.
Link in bio π
βWeβre talking about money, moneyβ π° Filmed at @montreuxjazzfestival, 1992.
Time, the new album from Simply Red, arriving 26th May βοΈ
Pre-order your signed copy of the deluxe CD exclusively at @hmvinstagram.
Hey Mister - from the new album 'Time' by Simply Red βοΈ
Pre-order now through the link in bio.
The new album Time is released on 26th of May. Pre-order the download on @iTunes at the link in bio.
Take a look at the VIP ticket packages for Simply Redβs European Summer tour at the link in bio.
All show dates and details can be found at www.simplyred.com
Photo credit: ...Christie Goodwin
Releasing this single has been a pleasure and we canβt wait for you to hear βTimeβ in full on 26th May.
@itvnews, @granadareports, @calpol29
βItβs that feeling you want to share with people to get your priorities rightβ - Mick
Last week, Mick made an appearance on @bbcbreakfast to talk about Simply Redβs latest single ...βBetter With Youβ from their new album βTimeβ βοΈ
SEAN KELLY - LIGHT TRAVELS
Life's not fair. Agree or not, you will have heard that said more than once.
American president John F. Kennedy elaborated and is famously quoted as ...saying.
" Life isn't fair. It never was and never will be. "
Recognising fully the good luck bestowed on SM, it follows that I dwell on the fate of artists I recognise as having been blessed with insane amounts of musical talent, yet have gone without any deserved amount of reward or mainstream recognition.
That thought crossed my mind again only yesterday on receiving news of the passing of Scottish singer/songwriter, Sean Kelly.
A miniscule amount of people reading this will be familiar with Sean, or think they have come across his music. But a few who are familiar with Simple Minds tracks such as 'Spaceface', 'Too Much Television' and' Light Travels' might just recognise that Sean is credited as the composer of those songs.
Others meanwhile, who saw Simple Minds tour UK/Europe in Spring 1996, might even have witnessed Sean's charisma radiating from stage when he fronted Surfing Brides, then opening for SM.
It is said that you cannot get 'anywhere in life' without some kind of extra talent.
Alternately, it is also said that talent is not enough.
But I'm putting all that aside today.
Not everyone has to be declared by all as a 'Superstar.'
Even if, thanks to his outrageous talent, Sean Kelly will always be considered as one by me.
Rest in Peace Sean.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTyiau7cJLA
Pic Daniele Tignino
DOWN IN THE PARK!
It feels good to be back working in a recording studio this week. Equally good to be once again working on what I describe as 'the puzzle' of songwriting.
When I ...say 'good,' I mean that precisely. For it would be wrong to say I was 'absolutely buzzing' or that I was 'awake at night with anticipation' in the days leading up to it etc. That would be hyperbolic.
Creatures of habit, as we all are in one way or another, it simply felt really good to back in what over the last 5 decades has become a natural environment for SM.
And as for the process involved in songwriting? Deep in concentration at one point, in fact so deep within a windowless room as to be unaware of the hours of the day passing, I 'snapped out of it' enough to find myself genuinely smiling at the realization that again, around 50 years on from when I first started thinkinging about writing lyrics, I am still getting pleasure out of messing around with words and music.
True. I would be much less enthusiastic were it the case that I had to now spend most of the remainder of my working days within a windowless room. (I feel the need to be outside for hours every day whenever possible) But our greatest reward after spending the amount of time we have boiling down on our creativity, is that we decide for ourselves how and when to go to work, and indeed when not to.
As for the pressures? Whereas performing live still brings the same kind of pressures as it always did. Not so entering a recording studio. I now find that about as much pressure as heading down to the local park where I am due to meet, sit, and chat with close friends, about something we are all passionate about. That by enlarge is what goes on when we gather with engineers, producers, musicians within the studio walls.
That's not to imply that we ever take going to work lightly though. It's as serious as all hell! And having invested our time and money in the proceedings, we want our 'pound of flesh' in return. Demanding 100 per cent from ourselves was always a given, likewise from all else who entered the studio with Simple Minds. And while the results on some days might be better than others, it's still crucial to make an amount of progress every single day.
Sure. We go there to play music. But it's not a game!
The real bonus in all of this comes in knowing that at some point in proceedings, someone among us on that day is going to say or do something that is genuinely great.
Such is the guarantee when you work with great people...And we only work with great people.
Having done so from our beginnings, whenever asked by anyone to explain Simple Minds career longevity? I never hesitate in explaining that a huge contributing factor is down to the fact that we always work with great and talented people.
Such is the way with Simple Minds.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GQS-iFCzus
pic JK
SHE'S A RIVER - DUBLIN, ST PATRICK'S DAY, 1995.
Different songs of ours evoke different memories for different reasons. Every time I hear the intro to 'She's A ...River' it immediately takes me back to March 17th 1995.
The opening night of our tour would see Simple Minds performing live in Dublin, Ireland. A highlight of any SM tour, more so though when it happened to coincide with St Patrick's Day.
The streets of the capital were buzzing that's for sure, and I had spent the afternoon with my then 3 year old son, joyfully taking in the parade.
By evening though it was time to 'get down to business' and I recall how in the dressing room minutes before we went on, that my mind wandered back to my toddler years and being taken on the boat to Dublin overnight from Glasgow, on our first ever family holiday.
I have a picture of me now standing dockside at the River Clyde Glasgow, my tiny hand wrapped around what seems a huge suitcase, already an excited traveller.
Decades later, back in the dressing room of the Point venue, situated on Dublin's dockside. I also recall dwelling a little on my great grandparents on both sides of our family. Those I had heard of but had never met. Immigrants from Ireland who travelled to Scotland...in need of work if only to survive. At this moment of writing, it dawns on me, and not for the first time, that I'm too an immigrant. Albeit on a different island. In the middle of a different sea. Reborn in another part of the world. Arriving here in Sicily at the lowest point in my life, I was also uncertain how I might survive the years ahead. (More on that some other time.)
It's the truth. Every time we go on stage, we desire to do the best we can for those who have made the great effort to come see us play. That's the deal!
But we also want to do the best we can for ourselves and for those who brought us into this world. We owe it to them.
Another thought now strikes me.
Every morning on March 17th, on the Feast Of St Patrick, Mum would pin a piece of shamrock to our school jumpers.
In doing so the message was made clear.
"You wee boys are Scottish. But always carry Ireland in your heart."
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQoOvk1eAq0
I LOVE THE SOUND OF BREAKING GLASS!
It was 1977 and we were in a punk band at the time, my pink and green coloured hair made that obvious.
As much as I loved the new experience that... came with being in a live band, my heart would always pound, feeling as though I was being dragged into the bandβs van whenever required to play in then known to be 'heavy metal' pubs in Fife and Perth.
Justifiably so, especially as the local 'Metal Heads' might be waiting to 'give the Punks a kicking.β
Neither Glasgow Punks nor their music was being welcomed in their towns at those times, you see.
Even more so if some of the local girls took a liking to us, and they usually did.
Not so long ago I met someone in the airport lounge who made me both laugh and cringe with his recollection from one of those nights.
βI saw you in a Perth pub in 1977. Within minutes of the first song, someone started spitting at the stage, seconds later a brawl broke out. You then hit someone with the microphone stand. Man! It's the only time I ever saw beer bottles flying FROM THE STAGE!β
Come on! An exaggeration surely?
Not entirely though.
That kind of stuff happened in those days and I do remember plenty of confrontations occurring as the music played on in the background. The Marquee Club in London, and The Underground in Stockholm, certainly saw us have run-ins with bullying skinheads and those were nights I will never forget.
Yes, it could get a little scary. And God forbid that no one ever got that seriously injured to my knowledge. But it could also be quite thrilling and more a case of bruised egos if you got your ass kicked.
On that one! Mick MacNeil, Charlie Burchill and I, all three got mildly 'roughed up' in Calgary, Canada.
To be honest, we were verging on being obnoxious and more than deserved what was coming.
Piece of advice! It's really not a good idea to get into a tussle over a game of pool - with big strong ice hockey fans who are already more than disgruntled at seeing their favourite team suck. And they really did suck!
These days?
The memories get blurred and the old tales grow arms and legs with every telling.
Iβd quite like to have the option of having pink and green hair again though.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-dpiIzYQ5g
INTO THE ARMS OF MORPHEUS!
The best things about this year for me so far?
Among them I would have to include being able to
get some decent sleep, as that is something that I missed out on... for most of last year while touring with Simple Minds.
Normally I can fall asleep almost anywhere, and I usually do.
By this I mean that I can 'crash out' for an hour or so while travelling, or even on a dressing room chair. Alternately though, no matter how comfortable or luxurious the surroundings, even when exhausted I am rarely able to sleep for more than a few hours in a hotel bed.
Iβm guessing that it is to do with a particular kind of adrenalin that starts to surge in the weeks of rehearsals leading up to the start of a tour, never fully subsiding until weeks after that tour ends.
Point being that on tour I can rarely sleep well while I'm meant to, through always feeling 'on.' Inevitably though, sleep does take hold and sometimes unexpectedly.
Embarrassingly, more than once I have fallen asleep while being interviewed. That might say more about the questions and the manner of those journalists involved. Most memorable however is that I also fell asleep during lunch with a record company boss who was known to have an ego bigger than the collective ego's of the artists whose careers he presided over. 'Falling into the arms of Morpheus' as I did on that occasion, midway through his endless 'bragging ', evidently I had pushed a crazy, angry button within him.
The result? Big Boss never invited me again. Possibly doing me a favour? Only so much I can listen to anyone ranting about expensive cars and privileged lifestyles. Truly, I would much rather share lunch - sat on a park bench - with people who believe in what I consider to be more meaningful things. I'm thinking about the types who hope that the better things in life are waiting just around the corner. Not only for themselves, but for all of us.
Such was the soothing almost lullaby effect of listening to Berenice Scott sing 'Speed Your Love', I even fell asleep momentarily during the encore section of a Simple Minds show last year. Out of sight from both band and audience, sitting in the wings of the stage I nodded off.
Had I not been suddenly awakened by the sound of the crowd's heartfelt applause for Berenice, I'm sure I would've missed out on what was left of that night's show.
Finally, just this past week I was told that I might not be getting that much sleep next year. From what I've written here you might be able to guess why that could be so?
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMZNpxKrdXk
NOT A DROP IN THE OCEAN!
Within Simple Minds we talk about 'potential' a lot.
For example, at the early stage of working on a new song and having not much to go on except the ...seed of an idea, we can decide that we are excited enough to invest our time further exploring how to make that little idea into a full blown song.
The problem is though? We already have so many ideas and never enough time to work on them all. So how to choose then what to work on and what to put aside?
The choice we make depends on various things, but it's the considered amount of potential imagined that has us agreeing to justify the time or more specifically the necessary months of work involved in transforming a mere sliver of an idea, first into a song, then a record, and then often years later into a live arrangement that might get performed all around the world.
So you'd imagine that the biggest talent involved in our process is in creating ideas. Everything starts with a basic idea after all. Right?
But recognising the underlying potential of one idea over another at the earliest stage is equally crucial. Maybe even more so, if you believe that time is the biggest cost in life? There's never enough of it and so we really don't want to be wasting time on lesser ideas.
Musical ideas aside. People are often full of what you might call unrecognised potential. Unrecognised by themselves mainly in the first place, therefore unrecognised by others as a result. After all, 'if you hide your light under a bushel,' you inevitably keep your abilities or good qualities hidden from all others.
Just last week I met someone for the first time and immediately offered them a job. I don't normally walk around offering jobs to strangers incidentally. But unusually there was a vacancy available and I wanted someone whom I felt harboured much potential. That this person had it in abundance was clear.
There's an Arabic proverb that I like, it says all that needs to be said about people and potential and makes me feel good.
"You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop."
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1EIx0bc3k
Pic JK
IN THE GAME OF LIFE!
βDonβt desert us in our hour of need.β
I can sometimes imagine myself saying words to that effect to people we valued and liked over the years, but who had ...come to the conclusion that for whatever reason, they no longer felt excited at the idea of continuing further in our endeavours with Simple Minds.
And the reason I can only imagine it, is because it never happened.
Should it have happened?
That is a question some might ask.
The suggestion being that with more effort to persuade otherwise, it could have resulted in less fragmentation over the years.
My response?
Not at all!
Point being that once we could sense that someoneβs heart was no longer in it 100 per cent, in turn we no longer wanted them around. βOur game was always in actionβ after all, and moving as fast as we were there was little time for sentimentality or neediness of any sort. How could there be?
Imagine being in a game when one of your teammates experiences a 'crisis' and out of nowhere, becomes full of doubts and no longer wants to contribute - all this going on while the game is in play?
That's a helluva blow to the team. But shit happens in the Game of Life. And despite the consequences, with all sympathies aside to the individual, that player has to leave the field immediately - should the team want to go on and win?
Have I always been 100% happy within my career as lead singer of Simple Minds?
Of course not.
A multitude of times I have experienced frustrations that almost overwhelmed.
Have there therefore been days when I considered that my role meant I no longer believed I was fortunate to have what for me must be one of the best jobs in the world?
No. Never. Not once. Just the way it is.
I never ever wanted to leave the field.
JK
Pic ToddeVision [Thorsten Samesch]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyYC9qRlJxY
BE OF SERVICE!
While it is true that in those very first years of Simple Minds it felt like an on-going battle to successfully prove ourselves worthy of anyoneβs attention. Nevertheless, as ...soon as we saw the growing presence of an audience loyal enough to be consistently buying our records and tickets to each new tour etc, our then sometimes' too cool and aloof' attitude gradually changed into being a whole lot more grateful. Humility becoming the order of the day, in turn the main consideration each night quickly became less about us and more about how best to βto be of service' to the audience that was allowing us to have this gilded life in music.
It is said that a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles. But there was nothing unique in our then new way of thinking .
In daily life, being of service to something - a person, a group, a community, a cause or a belief, is a regular practice. Most people engage in that kind of thing. Sometimes in automatic fashion, working away in myriad ways without fuss or recognition even though what is being done truly matters within society.
Simple Minds are not grounded so much in daily life though. We are in the 'business of show' - inside an industry that neatly convinces itself, and everyone else, that it's all about the 'Stars' on stage. And while surely those in the spotlight are obviously of a special kind of importance within 'the game' we are in. Likewise! Nothing would be possible without an audience.
Returning to ourselves again then. That attitude we evolved all those years ago not only still exists, it remains at the core of who we are and how we operate.
And at the end of the night when the last notes ring out and we acknowledge the generous applause that never fails to come our way.
The single biggest thrill comes in recognising that that there is no better feeling - than to feel we have been of service.
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP7hE0OiFEs
Pic : 'THE LEOPARD AT VILLA ANGELA' Fiona Sutherland. Prints available from www.fionasutherlandart.com
PIANO 36
As youβll see from this article, Jim and Charlie have helped their old secondary school to buy a new piano for the music department.
They had the names of 36 singers and bands from... the Glasgow area (some of whom also went to Holyrood School) added to it, which will hopefully bring inspiration to the pupils.
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/dont-you-forget-about-key-new-piano-for-holyrood-secondary-in-glasgow-thanks-to-simple-minds
Thanks to Stuart Crouch Creative, "Rocktek signs" and Countrywide Pianos
Simple Minds βNeapolisβ is out April 22nd, exclusive to Record Store Day UK 2023! ππ΅
Produced by Peter Walsh, the 1998 album, featuring the tracks 'War Babies' and ...'Glitterball' will be on vinyl for the very first time.
Find the nearest participating store here: https://recordstoreday.co.uk/shop-locator/
#recordstoreday #rsd23
Re Neapolis, long time Simple Minds fan Mo Shah posted :
"It's a classic album, ahead of its time. Released as it was during the 'Britpop era' and when you guys were still reinventing yourselves. It wasn't cool to like Simple Minds in the mid 90s, but I've always followed my path and kept the faith.
In my opinion Neapolis is up there with the early stuff. The mid 90s was a challenging time for Simple Minds, everyone said you should call it a day but almost 30 years later you're still here reinventing yourself, never standing still.
It's a great example of how to tackle adversity. Today I shall be playing that album in its entirety. Thank you Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchillβ.
LET THERE BE LOVE
Itβs Valentineβs Day and all that! I guess that still has some small significance for 'Old Romantics β like me.
( Hang on! Doesnβt seem that long ago we were ...being slated for being New Romantics. Old or new then? Whatever!)
Question is, what Minds song suits best on a day like this?
I would pick Let There Be Loveβ¦particularly as sung by our Aussie pal, Iva Davies. It's the cellos on the ICEHOUSE that do it for me.
Check it out!
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsSl5XlOmz0
βWhen music is done right - it lasts forever!β
So reckons writer and broadcaster Bob Lefsetzβ¦And Iβm in no mood to argue.
Released this very same week back in 1984, I ...recall how excited we were to get a reaction from our increasingly growing fanbase in the UK and beyond.
Not that we had to wait that long. Calls from Virgin Records had come in delivering news that Simple Minds were sure to hit the top spot, with record stores throughout the nation reporting that our new album βSparkle In The Rainβ easily outselling all competitors.
And although celebrations were obviously in order as a result, above all we really couldnβt wait to get out and perform our soon to be βbrand new chart toppinβ tunes live!
And what powerful songs those were to add to our increasing live set list.
Today, almost 40 years later, SM classics such as Waterfront, Catwalk, Speed Your Love, Book Of Brilliant Things etc, still have audiences jumping up and down wherever in the world we set up and plug in.
And while deep down we all know that nothing really lasts forever, you can easily expect that the songs that made Sparkle In The Rain the record that it is, will continue to be performed and listened to live and on record for some time yet.
JK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrA9Y0UM2vA
NOT A DROP IN THE OCEAN!
There's an Arabic proverb that I like, it says all that needs to be said about people and potential and makes me feel good.
"You are not a drop in the ...ocean. You are the entire ocean, in a drop."
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn1EIx0bc3k
Pic JK
PIANO 36
As youβll see from this article, Jim and Charlie have helped their old secondary school to buy a new piano for the music department.
They had the names of 36 singers and bands from... the Glasgow area added to it.
https://news.stv.tv/west-central/dont-you-forget-about-key-new-piano-for-holyrood-secondary-in-glasgow-thanks-to-simple-minds
Simple Minds βNeapolisβ is out April 22nd exclusive to Record Store Day UK! ππ΅
The 1998 album, featuring the tracks 'War Babies' and 'Glitterball' will be on vinyl ...for the very first time Find the nearest participating store here: https://recordstoreday.co.uk/shop-locator/
#recordstoreday #RSD23
LET THERE BE LOVE
Itβs Valentineβs Day! What Minds song suits best on a day like this?
I would pick Let There Be Loveβ¦particularly as sung by our Aussie pal, Iva Davies. ...It's the cellos on the ICEHOUSE that do it for me.
Check it out!
JK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsSl5XlOmz0
Don't You (Forget About Me) made number 1 on Virgin Radio's 100 Greatest Songs Of The 80's, as chosen by the public!
Did some of your favourite tracks make the list?
We asked, and you delivered! Here are the 100 greatest songs of the 1980s.Β
virginradio.co.ukALAN RANKINE
Simple Minds are saddened to hear of the passing of our fellow Scottish musician Alan Rankine.
Our thoughts are with Alanβs family and friends today. Rest In Peace ...Alan Rankine.
Jim Kerr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPsdRUHiCAE
Image: David Corio / Redferns
CHEERS!
"The bad news is time flies. The good news is youβre the pilot."
It is unnerving how time is seemingly going faster than I ever anticipated. That said, I always ...welcome the spirit of each New Year as it comes to my door.
Wishing You All A Very Happy New Year!
JK
Tune in to the official Live Aid YouTube channel on the 28th Dec for a full day of non-stop music to celebrate 1 million subscribers.
12am GMT / 1pm CET / 7am ET. Don't miss it!
...https://bit.ly/LiveAidOneMillionSubscribersEvent
The Heart Of The Crowd softback has finally arrived at the UK distributor (This Day In Music) so those who pre-ordered should receive them soon or you can now buy a copy here:
...https://thisdayinmusicbooks.com/product/simple-minds-heart-of-the-crowd-2/
ππ₯π’π―π ππ§π ππ’ππ€π’π§π apparently has the perfect rhythm for CPR. The British Heart Foundation has just launched #LifesavingBeats to inspire the nation to ...learn CPR to their favourite songs. More info here: http://www.lifesavingbeats.com
@TheBHF
There's an interview with Charlie in the current issue of Guitarist Magazine, available now in all good newsagents or you can buy a digital copy here: https://pocketmags.com/guitarist-magazine
Jim is special guest on this weekβs @BBCRadio2 βSounds Of The '80s with Gary Daviesβ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001fwd5
Listen in from 20.00 GMT to hear Jimβs 4 proudest ...career moments between 1980 and 1989.
