SIMPLE MINDS announce new single:
'LET THE DAY BEGIN'
SPRING 2015 UK TOUR
PLAYING THE GREATEST HITS & TRACKS
FROM THE NEW ALBUM
BAND TO OPEN BBC’S SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
IN GLASGOW
PRAISE FOR THE 'BIG MUSIC' ALBUM:
"Their best album in 30 years." **** Mojo
"Simple Minds at their ideal fighting weight." **** Q Magazine
**** The Times 2 Arts
"A high-water mark for wide-screen synth-driven rock. The Simple Minds we want." NME
On January 19th Caroline International will release
Let The Day Begin, the second
single to be taken from Simple Minds' Top 15, critically acclaimed 16th album,
BIG MUSIC.
Let The Day Begin is a homage and tribute to
The Call and their singer and guitarist Michael Been,
who passed away in 2010. The Call toured with Simple Minds
in the 1980s and became firm friends – they wrote Let The Day Begin
as their answer to Waterfront.
'The Call were a great band,' recalls Jim Kerr.
'They listened to the John Peel Show every night and wanted to sound like
Joy Division. But they came from Oklahoma and couldn't stop themselves from
sounding like The Band.'
'They were huge Simple Minds fans, and Let The Day Begin,
with its Doors-like rhythm, was their answer to
Waterfront. We played it
live in the States and people went crazy,
so we recorded it. It's a track we really wanted to do justice to.'
Simple Minds' version "dazzles and enthralls" (Vive Le Rock),
with its urgent optimism and "irresistible glam rock" (Record Collector). It's
a fantastic cover and a fitting tribute to an old friend.
Simple Minds have undergone rightful reappraisal and renaissance
in recent years. More relevant than ever, they have been lauded in recent times by
NME (included in their '100 Most Influential Bands'), The Guardian
and Mojo, and artists including The Horrors,
The Killers, King Creosote, Manic Street Preachers,
Primal Scream and Radiohead. Last year the band played to
130,000 people in the UK alone – the most ever in one year.
BIG MUSIC sees the band rekindling the energy
and attitude, the mystery and magic that made them one of the greatest bands on the planet.
It's a swaggering collection that reiterates the band's world-class credentials; a culmination
of a decade of stealthy rediscovery that has seen the band make two albums, 2005's
Black & White 050505 and 2009's
Graffiti Soul, before reminding us all
of their legacy with the acclaimed X5 boxed set
and subsequent 5X5 Live album
and tour.
With a touring cast that now sees Jim Kerr and
Charlie Burchill joined by stalwart drummer
Mel Gaynor, keyboardist
Andy Gillespie,
Ged Grimes, backing vocalist
Sarah Brown and
Catherine AD (additional keys and guitars),
Simple Minds have a settled line-up that enables them to look and feel
like a proper band again. Made with an array of collaborators old and new – including
co-writer Iain Cook (of Glasgow band Chvrches)
and producers Andy Wright and Gavin Goldberg
– BIG MUSIC is an irresistible mix of
artistry and accessibility.
BIG MUSIC is an album that combines a sense of
sonic euphoria with some of the most personal lyrics Jim
has ever written. It does justice to the Simple Minds legacy, an album that deserves
to be mentioned in the same breath as Empires And Dance,
New Gold Dream and Sparkle In The Rain.
On 14th December, Simple Minds will open the 61st BBC Sports Personality Of The Year,
at the SSE Hydro Arena in their hometown of Glasgow. "It's a great honour to take part in the show;
it's one of the most iconic programmes on television," Jim Kerr
said. "We are proud hjat the programme is coming to our home town but the fact that we were asked
to play too means we'll go that extra mile and give our all to kick off proceedings the best
way imaginable."
Simple Minds are "widely regarded as one of the best live bands in the world"
(BBC Breakfast) and over a 30-year career have been responsible for some of the most
innovative and enduring anthems in rock music. Next March the band will undertake a
29-date tour across the UK.
SIMPLE MINDS BIG MUSIC TOUR 2015
FRI 27 MARCH | GRIMSBY AUDITORIUM |
SAT 28 MARCH | LLANDUDNO VENUE CYMRU ARENA |
MON 30 MARCH | STOKE VICTORIA HALL |
TUE 31 MARCH | LEICESTER DE MONTFORT HALL |
THU 02 APRIL | LIVERPOOL EMPIRE THEATRE |
FRI 03 APRIL | BLACKPOOL OPERA HOUSE |
SAT 04 APRIL | BRIDLINGTON SPA |
MON 06 APRIL | NEWCASTLE CITY HALL |
TUE 07 APRIL | EDINBURGH USHER HALL |
WED 08 APRIL | PERTH CONCERT HALL |
FRI 10 APRIL | MANCHESTER O2 APOLLO |
SAT 11 APRIL | BIRMINGHAM O2 ACADEMY |
SUN 12 APRIL | SHEFFIELD CITY HALL |
TUE 14 APRIL | BRIGHTON DOME |
WED 15 APRIL | PORTSMOUTH GUILDHALL |
FRI 17 APRIL | PLYMOUTH PAVILIONS |
SAT 18 APRIL | CARDIFF MOTORPOINT ARENA |
SUN 19 APRIL | BOURNEMOUTH O2 ACADEMY |
TUE 21 APRIL | CAMBRIDGE CORN EXCHANGE |
WED 22 APRIL | NORWICH THE NICK RAYNS LCR UEA |
FRI 24 APRIL | MARGATE WINTER GARDENS |
SAT 25 APRIL | SOUTHEND CLIFF PAVILION |
SUN 26 APRIL | OXFORD NEW THEATRE |
TUE 28 APRIL | GUILDFORD G LIVE |
WED 29 APRIL | BRISTOL COLSTON HALL |
THU 30 APRIL | READING HEXAGON |
SAT 02 MAY | SWINDON OASIS |
SUN 03 MAY | NOTTINGHAM ROYAL CONCERT HALLv
| MON 04 MAY | IPSWICH REGENT |
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