AFTER ALMOST 30 years together, most bands would be taking it easy, contemplating the release of yet another greatest-hits compilation and thinking of how to spend their twilight years - and their royalties. But not Simple Minds.
The band scored a worldwide hit and US No1 with the single Don't You (Forget About Me) in the mid-1980s and went on to become one of that decade's most successful acts. Their popularity dwindled in the ensuing years, on the back of a series of mediocre releases - but their fortunes have been revived with the release of last year's Black & White 050505, an assured and surprising return to form. Now, having embarked on a nine-month world tour that will see them perform in Hong Kong for the first time later this month, they're determined to make the most of that newfound momentum.
On the phone from Amsterdam, frontman Jim Kerr's energy belies the gruelling schedule of the European leg of the tour, during which they played 54 dates in 26 countries, all in just 76 days.
'I'm loving it,' Kerr says enthusiastically in his Scottish brogue. 'Playing live has always been fundamental to us, so every night we go on stage, there's a quest, or a goal, or a challenge. We've been doing this for nearly 30 years, so if we're saying anything, we're saying to people, 'This is what we've done with our lives - it might not be a big deal to other people, but it's a hell of a deal to us'. The result of that is that even a mediocre gig is unacceptable.'
This dedication seems to be paying dividends, with Kerr describing their recent appearance in Belgrade, in Serbia and Montenegro, as the band's best performance. Considering Simple Minds have rocked some of the world's bets known arenas, including JFK Stadium in Philadelphia during the US portion of Live Aid in 1985, this is high praise.
To call Simple Minds' upturn in fortunes a comeback would be to ignore the fact that they've never been away - they've toured and released material steadily throughout their career. Nevertheless, to see the band playing such an extensive tour - and one that was largely sold-out in Europe - on the back of a critically and commercially successful album is something most pundits wouldn't have expected to see this side of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
