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People remember disasters, not triumphs. Back in 1981, when Simple Minds played the Birmingham Odeon, Jim Kerr lost his voice. That memory is whispered from punter to punter tonight. They've forgotten the later success, the sold out nights at the NEC, the top ten hits, the glory years. They just remember feeling embarrassed for Kerr one warm September night some 25 years ago. They forget that this is a band that sold albums by the million. They forget that Simple Minds were the biggest Scottish band of their time. Don't you forget about me? Sorry, gentlemen - there's a few thousand Brummies having a memory blank tonight, sitting at home, watching Corrers.
It's the success of that song which continues to hang round the band's collective neck like an albatross. Played over and over on the radio, no wonder the youngsters think they're sick of Simple Minds before they've tried to listen. That mid-80s hit, which had Molly Ringwald kicking up her heels in The Breakfast Club, wiped out all they did previously and overshadows all they'e done since. Earlier gems such as New Gold Dream and Sons & Fascination are buried away in the lofts of James Blunt listening middle-aged fathers all over Britain. If they hadn't played Don't You tonight, heads would have rolled, yet they manage to leave their biggest hit, Belfast Child, off the set and no one even raises an eyebrow.
Having released albums for the last four decades, Simple Minds have an abundance of other spine-tingling rock anthems to choose from, and the choices are good. Opening with Sleeping Girl from their 2002 album,Cry, they're soon alternating oldies such as Love Song, East at Easter, and Big Sleep, with new tunes such as Home, Stay Visible, and A Life Shot in Black & White. Kerr's energy is infectious, his voice gruffer, grittier and fuller than in production. Charlie Burchill is a solid guitarist, nothing too fancy, nothing overlooked. The new tunes are delivered with true affection, the band obviously love the songs, and they want us to love them too. The climatic Dolphins rounds off the set perfectly, and the crowd go mad for more. Encores include their latest release, Stranger, and the exquisite, never-aging Seeing Out The Angel - a song which never saw a single release, but screams hit as much now as it did then.
The mainstream used to view Simple Minds as a "poor man's U2". A bit too teenyrock, a bit too attractive, a bit too light-hearted to compete with their Irish brothers. Now, whilst U2 are grossing over $250million for a tour, Simple Minds are playing the modest Carling Academy. A reflection of times and tastes, marketing and madness Kerr proved himself as good a front man as Bono tonight, Burchill as competent as The Edge. The band are Alive & Kicking, getting better and better with age.
