Simple Minds was again featured in the soundtrack of Top Gear as serial buffoons
Clarkson, Hammond and May drove across the Middle East to deliver presents in
Bethlehem. The usual collection of breakdowns, arguments and auto mayhem were underpinned by a constant soundtrack of the familiar
and not-so familiar. Many would’ve recognised the faltering start of Love Song but how
many spotted the hollow intro of League of Nations, which was used to accompany a
grittier section of film.
Which suggests that someone on the production team was listening to Sons And Fascination recently.
13th december
tw classic festival, bern
Simple Minds will be playing the TW Classic Festival in Werchter on the 9th July. This is the first
of the summer festival dates to be confirmed. Remember to sing Happy Birthday to Jim on the
day.
The new warm skin of the official site firmly concludes the whole 30 Years Live and
Graffiti Soul era of the band. I expect the new dates to concentrate on the hits
and rarities (to tie in with the forthcoming new compilation) with a handful of new songs
thrown in to whet the appetite for 2012's new album.
29th november
greatest hits forest tour 2011, night of the proms 2011, art of the song, swimming towards the sun, remixes
Greatest Hits Forest Tour
Simple Minds have announced a 'Greatest Hits Forest Tour' for
next summer, playing a series of dates in spectacular woodland locations as part of Forestry Commission Live Music.
Special guest support for all dates will be Starsailor front man James Walsh.
Simple MindsGreatest Hits will be released Spring 2011.
Money generated by Forestry Commission Live Music ticket sales is spent directly on the nation's woodlands,
benefiting everything from butterflies to mountain bikers.
Commenting on the tour, Jim Kerr for Simple Minds said: "We've
never done the forest gigs before so we are really looking forward to performing in such beautiful places."
Simple Minds with special guest James Walsh will be performing:
Fri 10 June - Bedgebury Pinetum & Forest, Nr Goudhurst, Kent.
Sat 11 June - Thetford Forest, Nr Brandon, Suffolk.
Fri 17 June - Westonbirt Arboretum, Nr Tetbury, Gloucestershire.
Sat 18 June - Sherwood Pines Forest Park, Nr Edwinstowe, Nottinghamshire.
Fri 24 June - Dalby Forest, Nr Pickering, North Yorks.
Sat 25 June - Cannock Chase Forest, Nr Rugeley, Staffordshire.
Sun 3 July - Delamere Forest, Delamere, Cheshire.
Tickets cost £35.00 (subject to booking fee) and go on sale at 9.00am this Friday 3rd December
2010 from Forestry Commission box office telephone 03000 680400 or buy online at www.forestry.gov.uk/music
simpleminds.com are running a 'Members Only' pre-sale of tickets in the Members Area of the official site
on Thursday 2nd December starting at 9.00am.
And if that's not enough, Simple Minds return to Night Of The Promswith a single date in Frederikshavn, Denmark.
The auction takes place on the 15th December. See the Art Of The Song website for further
details.
Swimming Towards The Sun was recently pushed into the limelight when Jim performed it in a shiny
new electronic guise during his ElectroSet Tour. By coincidence, song co-writer
Anusha Solayea kindly sent me the lyrics and the original demo she recorded with
Kevin Hunter back in 1995. Full details can be found on the song's page.
Swiss artist Gertrud Stein has covered New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) on the
flip-side of her single Blumchen. It sounds like a stripped down Electroset-style version of
the Simple Minds favourite; almost as if The Passions sang it.
For those who can't track down the limited edition 7" single featuring the track, there's a taste of its style in the shape of
a live version captured on YouTube.
10th november
lostboy! uk dates rescheduled, lostboy! interview, lostboy! old record collector review, simple minded
Due to unforeseen circumstances the following Lostboy! AKA shows will now be rescheduled for 2011. These new dates will
be confirmed very shortly.
All tickets will remain valid for the new dates or refunds can be made from the original point of purchase.
We will add more information here as soon as we have it!
"So sorry for the rescheduling. I appreciate immensely the effort that people go to support me. Re the overwhelming positive
messages from so many of you during the last week - our family says thanks to each and everyone. Got a bit of a struggle on our hands
right now, but we will get through. And when we do, we will never forget your wonderful support. Thanks, and sorry
once again." Jim
Dates postponed:
15-NOV
LONDON - O2 ACADEMY ISLINGTON
16-NOV
OXFORD - O2 ACADEMY 2
17-NOV
LEICESTER - O2 ACADEMY 2
18-NOV
BIRMINGHAM - O2 ACADEMY 2
19-NOV
SHEFFIELD - O2 ACADEMY
21-NOV
MANCHESTER - O2 ACADEMY 3
22-NOV
LIVERPOOL - O2 ACADEMY 2
23-NOV
GLASGOW - GARAGE
24-NOV
EDINBURGH - LIQUID ROOMS
26-NOV
DUNDEE - FAT SAMS
27-NOV
ABERDEEN - LEMON TREE
29-NOV
HAMBURG - KNUST
30-NOV
KOLN - LUXOR
01-DEC
MUNCHEN - AMPERE
02-DEC
HANNOVER - MUSIKZENTRUM
03-DEC
BERLIN - POSTBAHNHOF
www.lostboyaka.com
Richard Lewis of Nerve Magazine in Liverpool recently interviewed Jim
about the Lostboy! AKA album, tour, early Simple Minds' sound and their influences. The interview
can be found here.
This is an review from the first Lostboy! AKA Tour which
was published in Record Collector back in August. The author, Pierre Perrone, also wrote the
biography in the Graffiti Soul Tour Programme.
Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr
London Borderline
23/5/10
View: left of mixing desk.
Simple Minds' frontman Kerr has embarked on a solo
venture with a twist. Expanding the mindset that spawned Searching For The Lost Boys -
the bonus album of covers with Graffiti Soul - he is recording and
gigging as Lostboy! AKA. The personable Scot has tapped into his younger self and, in partnership with guitarist/producer
Jez Coad, has made an album in tune with the Minds' early days
and the current interest in 80s electro. Kicking off with
Refugee, Kerr,
Coad, and a cracking band featuring Minds keyboardist
Andy Gillespie, former Danny Wilson bassist,
Ged Grimes, and drummer
Gordon Wilson, hit their stride with the moodier, groovier
She Fell In Love With Silence and never let
up. The inclusion of early Minds material like
This Earth That You walk Upon,
Today I Died Again and
Someone helped put things in
context. But from the cover of The Silencers'Bulletproof Heart to the radio-friendly
Shadowland, it was the Lostboy!
material that shone. At times, it felt that as though Kerr and cohorts
were channelling the post-punk spirit of Magazine.
Broken Glass Park and its coda of "Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun" hinted
at the lateral genius of Sparks and even better things to
come.
Pierre Perrone Record Collector
August 2010
Tribute band Simple Minded have a gig at the Whistle Binkies, Edinburgh on November 27th. It's free entry before midnight,
and the band are on stage at 21.45-22.30 and 23:00-23.45.
24th october 2010, 26th october 2010 (added set-lists and pictures)
lostboy! copenhagen, lostboy! on jools holland, lostboy! oslo, lostboy! malmoe
"Thanks to another encouraging audience! Each night and with each show the set gets a bit tighter, a
bit more polished even. Influenced by Simon's opinion I changed
the running order tonight slightly, I had the impression that it flowed all the more evenly as a result.
Oslo tomorrow!" - Jim, October 21st 2010
Many thanks to Steen for the set-list and Stef for the pictures.
Jim's appearence on the Jool's Holland show was broadcast last Monday
on BBC Radio Two. Jim talked about Simple Minds,
Lostboy! AKA and performed The Man Who Sold The World backed by
Jool's band.
The show is available on the BBC iPlayer for the next couple of days.
"A real little venue. A city centre bar really! Going to be packed and very sweaty. Did Dylan'sLay Lady Lay at soundcheck and will debut it tonight. Really looking forward
to this show. I know it will be the best yet!" - Jim, October 22nd 2010
"Indeed it went as well as I thought it would. Lay Lady Lay felt very nice, I think it is the first time I
have ever sang a Dylan song! Meanwhile all the Lostboy! tunes seem to get stronger each
time - always a good sign. I loved this small venue, a real rock n roll bar with a good audience! Pretty much perfect!" - Jim, October 22nd 2010
"Is tonight in Malmo the one where finally the Springsteen cover gets an airing! Might be, might not
be, who knows? Either way I can sense it's coming soon" - Jim, October 23rd 2010
"A lot quieter than last night. During the encore I walked out to the back to watch Sarah Brown
perform - she was astonishing! Thanks to all who came as always!" - Jim, October 23rd 2010
Thanks to Stef for the set-list and the pictures.
"After tonight Lostboy! AKA breaks off before picking the tour up again in Belfast on 10th of November.
For the Irish/UK leg we look to add around another five songs to choose from depending on the night. Among them: Champagne Moon by Lostboy! AKA, Believer by Lostboy! AKA, Celebrate by Simple Minds, Sleeping Girl by Simple Minds,
and The Streets Of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen" - Jim, October 23rd 2010
20th october 2010
lostboy! utrecht, mike ogletree new gold dream unplugged
Many thanks to JohnnyBGood and Frank for the set-list and
Peter for the picture.
Hello there,
November 4th, 10pm at Desmond's Tavern, 433 Park Ave. Sth (Btwn 29th & 30th) in New York City marks the launch of
Anacoustic Mind.
Anacoustic Mind represents the living creation that evolves and grows from the void of pure inspiration. A time
and space where the synthesis of past, present and future experience dissolve into the eternal spontanaity of now.
On Nov 4th Anacoustic Mind will enjoy the spontaneous creations of Cathryn Lynn,
Mike Milazzo and I collectively sharing
our acoustic experience with the songs from the Simple Minds album New Gold Dream,
an album I helped create in 1982.
Cathryn Lynn - Vocals, body percussion and movement. Mike Milazzo - Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals and movement. Mike Ogletree - Vocals, Acoustic Guitar and movement.
Be a part of Anacoustic Mind on Nov. 4th in New York and experience the raw power and beautiful energy of New Gold Dream Unplugged.
The long awaited kick-off gig finaly came. Today was the day!
At the front doors of the Handelsbeurs, people were queing up to
live the long expected gig of Lostboy.
Once settled in the venue, we counted the seconds to see Lostboy in
action. Seconds before the start, out of the speakers we could hear a
very nice version of the track Lostboy, with Jim's
voice echoing the refrain "Lostboy... Lostboy..." in a darkened venue, enlighted with soft warm blue spotlights.
When finally the first tune of Kill or Cure? went airborn, the
crowd went almost crazy and my God, what a wonderful start it was indeed.
With the stunning fresh voice of Sarah Brown and the beautiful
arrangements on the synths of Simon Hayward,
Jim started with so much
self-confidence and ease. If this is only one song of the forthcoming
album of Lostboy! , what a cracker it will be!
No need to introduce Shadowland, everybody cheered with the so
recognizable tunes of it and if this wasn't enough, She Fell In Love With Silence
didn't need introduction either. Jim's voice was very clear during
the whole gig, and a beautiful version of Bulletproof Heart was played.
It was so enjoyable Jim stood there, using the stage from left to
right, and "Let me see your hands" went a split second later on in a wave of hands all-over.
What we all very anticipated were the tracks Lostboy! would bring from the
earlier years, it is to say from the era of Empires and Dance.
As Jim said himself, This Fear of Gods
was indeed a very long time ago he sang, but this version sounded so fresh and present with the
pounding chords and lines of a self assured Simon who played with loads of
confidence. A sober but beautiful lightshow coloured it all so well.
Cynical Heart was followed up by
Refugee, which pleased us all. A
warm and beautiful version of In Every Heaven went through the
speakers and sweat was pourring of Jim's face. The man didn't stand still for
a second. Guess he's right up for a marathon.
From time to time, the laserbeam above Simon's head hid the
keymaster and brought him back again, all happening with great
pleasure of the man himselve.
And than another great discovery of the night: Sense of Discovery
was brought for the very first time and I have to admitt , it gave me goosebumps.
Didn't I mention before that Lost Boy #2 would be a cracker? Well, this song too
is an instant success... remember my words. Remember Asia and
Red Letter Day closed the first part of the show.
When they came back on stage, The Wait produced a venue of every
single person singing along, to great joy of Jim.
Broken Glass Park was introduced
and was very well welcomed as it sounded so receptive, a very
youthful and cheering track this is. With a big "Thank You", they
went off stage as if the concert was over,
but of course it wasn't. The crowd almost went beserk when they came
back and Jim , very confident and relaxed began to tell why especially
he (they) choose Ghent
as kick-off place for the forthcoming Electro-Tour.
Belgium is a place as to come home, he explained and he'd never forgot how we all
supported him and his band throughout
the years. Very nice words were adressed to Simon Hayward, who did a
divine job by putting/producing this whole Electro Tour music
together. Needless to say everybody
sended a huge applause to Simon's person. Jim also put
Sarah in
the spotlight by telling what a remarkable person she is and voice
she has, just a pity she doesn't come 100%
to her right in this show, so the credits of the upcoming track was
fully adressed to Sarah. Indeed what a voice this Lady has, and I
especially write capital "L" because
this beautiful woman is gifted with an amazing voice, that easily
can tear your ears down if all registers are opened. Besides that,
she has this natural "flair" you can't deny.
A well deserved applause was dedicated from the crowd to Sarah when
she finished singing Teardrop, a cover of Massive Attack.
"Wanna hear some more?", Jim asked and Spaceface
went for the first time "Electrofied". What a wonderful version this is, certainly
when I Travel was mixed with it halfway.
Tonight we saw a very strong and living trio, enjoying every minute
of their work, bringing it us right from the heart.
Some might say it was a pity there were not guitars and/or drums
involved, but for me and lots of people this is a wonderful sound.
Somehow it tasted a little like Depeche Mode,
using nothing else than synthesizers, but it is a sound I can
appreciate very much. A new sound for new ways to discover ! And my
God, am I glad to have discovered Lostboy!
It is true that music can enhance your mood, and I felt very, very
good this evening!! Thank you Lostboy, hope to meet again soon.
JohnnyBGood
Many thanks to JohnnyBGood for the review, set-list and photos.
15th october 2010
kill or cure?, lostboy! aka us release, lostboy! aka tour reherasals, new simple minds gig, cash for kids, ex-simple minds, collection for sale, remixes, interviews, new compilation album, pelican books, jools holland
It's the original demo which has been given additional electroset remix sparkle by Simon Hayward.
Another new version of Kill Or Cure will be exclusively aired on Billy Sloan's
show on Sunday night. This is the rehearsal version for the tour and features Jim,
Simon and Sarah.
Billy will also play another exclusive track especially prepared for the
forthcoming ElectroSet Tour.
The debut album from Lostboy! AKA is due for release in the USA on the 11th February 2011. It's expected that the album will
include new material only recently recorded.
Jim has also accepted an invitation to play South By South West in Austin, Texas.
"Full on Lostboy! AKA Electroset rehearsals today with Simon and
Sarah, plenty to be getting through on top of the songs we already did in summer.
At least three brand new songs and some revisits of stuff from Empires and Dance.
All this plus a covers of Dylan and Frankie Valli nonetheless. Will be intense!" - Jim, 11th October
"Great day at rehearsal with both Simon and Sarah in
sparkling form. Simon as always had prepared all so well in advance which meant we flew
through the workload. Plenty of surprises and I will get to them later. However seeing Sarah nail the
Empires and Dance medley of both
This Fear Of Gods and Twist/Run/Repulsion,
all in one take rendered me speechless!" - Jim, 11th October
The charity ball was always going to be a brief affair with Simple Minds playing six live favourites on the night.
Ex Simple Minds are releasing The American through iTunes on the 18th October. The
track is already exclusively available from their website whilst a sample can be heard on their
Myspace site.
Despite interest, Kurt Meuleman has still to sell his entire collection, and has
now dropped the price to 7500 Euros. Nothing will be split and the buyer has to collect from Belgium.
His collection consists of:
Nearly 200 different vinyls
More then 200 different CDs
Includes promos, rare and very rare stuff
Plus lots of videos, cassettes, books, tourbooks and memorabilia
This collection was started in 1983 and 90% of the items are impeccable, 9% mint and 1% very slightly damaged.
E-mail kurt.meuleman@telenet.be for further information. He will e-mail you
his entire list/collection on Excel.
(The images below show his collection of items from the New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) era).
Jim has recently recorded a cover of The Man Who Sold The World
with Jools Holland And His Band. Its expected to be broadcast near the end of the month.
27th september 2010
lostboy! aka electro radio show, new lostboy! aka material
The HR1 Maintower Radio gig from Frankfurt (9th August 2010) is due to be broadcast tonight by
HR1 Radio. Check out the link to the HR1 Lounge
for more information and the all important "Listen Now" button.
Jim is currently working in London on new Lostboy! AKA material and mixing the
four new Simple Minds songs for the forthcoming compilation album.
24th september 2010
cash for kids, new compilation album, laatste show, discography updates
Simple Minds' touring isn't quite over this year. The band are expected to play a handful of gigs during the remainder of
the year and have just announced that they'll be playing at the Radio Clyde Cash For Kids Ball at the Glasgow Hilton
on the 2nd October.
Jim is now preparing for the Lostboy Electroset Tour.
This includes a performance and interview on the Laatste Show in Belgium on Thursday 30th September.
And a single is also coming - which, apparently, will feature Mick.
Just a Simple week at work for Ged Grimes
Last week was just another week in the life of Dundee's Ged Grimes, former bass player with Danny Wilson,
and more recently Deacon Blue and Jim Kerr's Lostboy. Or so he thought...
Having been asked by Jim and
Charlie Burchill to help out with recording some new
Simple Minds material in London at the start of this month, he ended up being pitched on stage
with the band at one of Europe's biggest festivals in front of over 80,000 fans!
Now back at his day job as a music provider for the video games industry with his own company, Jack's Hoose Music, Ged takes up the story.
"I first met Jim and
Charlie when
Danny Wilson and Simple Minds were on Virgin in the 80s. But it wasn't until
Deacon Blue supported them 18 months ago that we reconnected.
"This led to me doing Jim's solo Lostboy tour in May this year.
Charlie performed with Lostboy on the last night on the tour in
Amsterdam and we had a great night.
"So I was asked to come to London in early September to record some new songs with the full Simple Minds line-up.
We spent the first week of September doing this and all went great.
"I was preparing to return to Dundee last Tuesday when Jim and
Charlie asked if I was free to do a wee "show" on Saturday the 11th in Paris. I
obviously agreed...but they were committed in the studio till the day of the gig so we couldn't rehearse before the show."
So Ged returned to Dundee with only two days to rehearse the Minds'
set on his own then nip back down to London to rejoin the guys.
"We arrived in Paris on the day of the show. I didn't know anything about it...turns out it was France's biggest music festival
Fete De L'Humanite and Simple Minds were headlining!
"No soundcheck...broadcast live...we walk on stage...80,000 punters...a baptism of fire. We played an hour and 20 minutes
and it was kind of a surreal experience.
"After the show I received loads of messages from all over, Brazil, USA, Japan, from Minds
fans saying they had listened in and loved it." — not to mention his mates back home who inundated his Facebook page!
Ged's now concentrating on his top-secret new venture...more news on that by the
end of the month hopefully.
More from German brewer Krombacher who have used Stars Will Lead The Way
to add extra drama to their beer advertisements. A video of the commerical can be found on
www.new-business.de whilst
Krombacker's press release is on their website
(and you have to be over 16 to read at AND drink their beer).
The Pope's current visit to the UK, especially holding a service in Glasgow, reminded be of a piece in
New Sounds New Styles written in 1982. Malcolm Garrett
related trivia about the then-pontiff, John Paul II, using Simple Minds' PA to address the crowd.
For Sale: one microphone as used by Jim Kerr and
John Paul II...
Apparently the Pope's purple robes also inspired the bold use of purple for parts of the
New Gold Dream (81,28,83,84) packaging.
14th september 2010
eddie duffy, ged grimes, paris, new compilation album, the dark flowers, mike ogletree, discography updates, krombacher
"Heading to Paris for the last gig of this tour. To be honest with Simple Minds there is no "last gig" as such.
It just means the last gig before a break that inevitably leads to the next move forward and onwards into the future.
Changes are always happening though and that will be apparent when we walk on stage in Paris. Nothing in this world is permanent
and change can be painful too. We call those kind of changes growing pains. It is all part of what we do!" -
Jim, 9th September
Jim's vague announcement sent tongues wagging, suggesting the triumphant last gig of
the tour was going to feature a slightly different line-up. Come the night, Eddie Duffy
was nowhere to be seen and his place was taken by Ged Grimes instead.
It is now widely believed that Eddie Duffy has left Simple Minds.
I’m not expecting an official announcement or any reasons to be given: those who’ve followed the band through many years know a
professional silence falls on such matters.
But, if Eddie has left the band, then I wish him all the best for the future. He was
the closest thing Simple Minds ever had to a "rock God" and his on-stage antics, monitor posturing and, last but definitely
not least, his searing basslines will be missed by many fans.
Missed to such an extent that in any future poll of Simple Minds bass players, I would still put money on
Derek Forbes coming first, but Eddie Duffy
would come in a very close second.
Therefore Ged Grimes stepped into the void on the right side of the state. Formerly one part
of Danny Wilson, Ged toured with Jim for the
first first Lostboy! AKA tour before getting the call to play the final gig of
Simple Minds'summer tour.
And he stepped out on that Parisienne stage without having played with the band. Simple Minds were holed up in a rehearsal
studio in London (recording new material for a compilation album - see below) so Ged had to sweat it
out in a Scottish recording studio learning the material by himself.
Judging from the radio broadcast of the gig, he did a damn fine job.
Simple Minds played to their largest French audience to date (numbering over 80,000). The
gig was also broadcast simulataneously in excellent quality on France Bleu 107.1 although it only started
mid-way through Waterfront.
A new Simple Minds compilation album isn’t something to excite the long term fan as they’re primarily
concocted as potted histories for newcomers to the band’s work or as contractual Polyfilla. Therefore the news that a
potential compilation is in the works is unlikely to interest the hardcore fanbase.
But news has started leaking out and it’s certainly whetted my appetite. Simple Minds
have taken time out of their touring schedule to decamp to a London recording studio to record several new songs for a
potential "alternative greatest hits album." It’s assumed these include
Stage Fright,
Concrete And Cherry Blossom and, surprisingly,
Broken Glass Park (which has just switched allegiance from
Lostboy! AKA to Simple Minds).
Another comment, recently reported by the Sunday Mailin this interview, suggests there might be even
more for the long term fan: "We'll be putting a new compilation together which will include some tracks from early in our career.
We unearthed songs which didn't make it on to albums like Empires And Dance or
Sparkle In The Rain."
Sounds excellent.
Paul Statham's eerie, intruging and hypnotic Dark Flowers continues to
grow with another new Jim Kerr fronted track. This Boy's Life now joins
Radio Land and Blue Eyes Are Cheating - all can be heard on
The Dark Flowers website.
German brewer Krombacker have dropped Belfast Child
as backing music for their commericals - but have stayed true to Simple Minds and now use
Stars Will Lead The Way! The German press release can be
found here which also includes the
pitifully short promo video shot for the track.
26th august 2010
lostboy! aka electro tour, the dark flowers, simple minded
Tribute band Simple Minded are playing the following gigs:
Vivaz, Scarborough, UK 18th September, 2010
Check www.vivaz.co.uk for more information. Entry is £5.
Ivory Blacks, Glasgow, UK 2nd October, 2010
Check www.ivoryblacks.co.uk for more information. Entry is £6.
21st august 2010
electroset tour, electroset radio tour, ndr plaza festival, brazil, jim kerr causes international incident
Dates for Lostboy's next tour have started to appear. This
will be another Electroset tour and features gigs in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the UK, Ireland and Germany.
But that's not to say that the Lostboy Electoset Radio Tour has
wound up: expect two more exclusive radio performances in September.
NDR will be broadcasting an edited version of the NDR Plaza Festival on Saturday, 28th August. Check the
station's website for more information.
See The Lights was interrupted when the security tried to remove
standing fans at the front of the stage (as it was a seated venue). Jim
told security to leave them alone.
Many thanks to Carlos for the set-list and Aline for the photographs.
14th august 2010
live in the city of light, she fell in love with silence artwork, she fell in love with silence single
As mentioned on the 30th June, Live In The City Of Light is being given away today with
the Belgian newspaper De Morgan as part of their Legendary Live Albums series.
It appears to be the digitally remastered edition housed in a custom slip sleeve.
Many thanks to JohnnyBGood for the image.
A brand new project by SEA/collectiv members Geoff Croll and Eric de Vries, called SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH SILENCE.
Inspired by Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr's new song...
"Geoff Croll, photographer from Aberdeen Scotland, and Eric de Vries, Dutch photographer living
and working in Cambodia started
to work on this photographic project with the same name. Eric chose the title and the two photographers got to work on their
perception and take on this interesting and very thought provoking subject.
Geoff worked on the series in his hometown Aberdeen in a more sequence way of photographing his
subject whilst Eric took individual dual layered images, mostly shot in south east Asia.
The result is this project, a combination of sometimes strange photography but the essence was clear…
SHE FELL IN LOVE….WITH SILENCE… AGAIN….. one way or the other…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Geoff Croll / Eric de Vries SEA Collectiv (August 2010)
Ghostdancing was interrupted near the end when the PA broke down so the band
took it as their cue to leave the stage.
Thanks to Paola for the photos and Paola and Guido for the set-list.
Three versions of the Lostboy! AKA album are available in Russia. The official version is produced by
Soyuz Music and includes a full colour booklet, jewel case and additional obi-strip. There are also two
high-quality unofficial versions: both are modelled on the standard European issue and include full colour booklets (although, oddly,
one uses a double-CD jewelcase).
Thanks to Sebastian for the information.
Pictures from Das Festival in Switzerland (7th August) can be found here.
Many thanks to all those who've sent in set-lists and pictures from the current tour. The tour page
is looking far more complete know. And the La Courneuve, Paris, France on the 11th September will be the last of the Simple Minds
tour.
6th august 2010
torino, pordenone, simple minds set-lists, simple minds collection for sale
The SWR Radio Mannheim Electro Set (from the 5th August) will be broadcast on SWR1
on Sunday evening at 8PM German time.
Thanks to Mary F for the set-list and Paola for the photos.
The Festival Tour is now looking a little incomplete with several set-lists missing. If you
can help fill in the blanks, then please send them in.
Do you want an instant, entire Simple Minds collection?
Kurt Meuleman is selling his entire collection as one lot. His collection consists of:
Nearly 200 different vinyls
More then 200 different CDs
Includes promos, rare and very rare stuff
Plus lots of videos, cassettes, books, tourbooks and memorabilia
This collection was started in 1983 and 90% of the items are impeccable, 9% mint and 1% very slightly damaged.
He's asking 7,900 euro (that’s a discount of 21% because the price in 2008 was 10.000 euro) for the entire collection
(nothing will be split) and the whole collection has to be collected from him in Belgium.
E-mail kurt.meuleman@telenet.be for further information. He will e-mail you
his entire list/collection on Excel.
(The images below show his collection of items from the New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) era).
"History made with this first "electroset" gig, first time I've performed without a band. Was confident
Simon's production would go over well, knew Sarah
would be star. Question was whether I would be able to get "into" the music same way as when fronting a powerful band. No problem at
all! Thanks to who all who encourage me! I am keen on doing much more of this!" - Jim, 4th August 2010.
The video of the performance can be seen here (but will only be available for
seven days). And pictures from the gig can also be seen on NDR's website.
4th august 2010
electro set tour, top gear, mike ogletree, remixes
The first gig from the Electro Set Tour will be broadcast live tonight on
NDR 2 from 19:00 German local time.
And good luck to Simon for his first Lostboy! AKA gig.
"Well, I'm all set for the start of the Lostboy Electro tour. Today's
rehearsal went well and I've ironed out a few snags.
It goes without saying that I'm very excited about the next 2 weeks.
The challenge has been to re-arrange the songs without guitars (though I've
used a couple of sample triggers here and there). Like the Lostboy album,
the electro set is full of different textures and emotions. Sarah Brown's
backing vocals add a whole new layer to what I'd describe as a widescreen
sound. (And I managed to sneak In Every Heaven and Room into the set!).
The songs in the set represent the best of the 20 odd songs I prepared. The
planned Moby song didn't work out in rehearsals so we dropped it.
Working with Jim has been a lot of fun - he has so much passion and energy
for the material. (And believe me, there's a whole lot of amazing Lostboy AKA! and Simple Minds
music to come).
So, before I dash off to the airport I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to
all on this forum and the many of you who have shown such support for me over
the years.
It took me 30 years, but I got there in the end! Fingers crossed I don't f*ck up and accidentally destroy Jim's career."
Someone on the Top Gear production team has been listening to Sons And Fascination. Both
Love Song and League Of Nations were used in the background
in recent shows as Clarkson, Hammond and May got up to their usual car-related japery.
NDR Radio, Hamburg, Germany 4th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
SWR Radio, Mannheim, Germany 5th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
HR1 Maintower Radio, Frankfurt, Germany 9th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
Island Radio 300, St. Regis Mardavall, Mallorca 12th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
After Jim's appearance on The One Show,
Belfast Child entered the iTunes 200 Download Chart.
(Albeit at #188 but that's a lot of downloads).
All the White Spaces featuring Jim Kerr remixes mentioned in the last update are also available on
Spotify. (In fact, most of the albums and Themes Volumes can be heard via
Spotify with the exception of the Eagle albums).
Home was on the set-list after Rockets but wasn't played.
Thanks to Stef for the set-list and pictures.
Festival Des Voix Du Gaou, France 27th July, 2010
Thanks to Pascal for the pictures.
26th july 2010
lostboy electro set, discography update, carassonne
The first dates of the forthcoming Lostboy Electo Set Tour have started to appear. Each
radio station is running its own competition for listeners to win tickets. Check the links to enter:
NDR Radio, Hamburg, Germany 4th August, 2010
SWR Radio, Mannheim, Germany 5th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
HR1 Maintower Radio, Frankfurt, Germany 9th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
Island Radio 300, St. Regis Mardavall, Mallorca 12th August, 2010 Click here to win tickets.
And the different Life In A Day artwork has been identified. These photographic sheets
of early versions of the album's artwork were originally distributed with the test-pressings of the album.
This gig was initially planned as a support slot for a-Ha at Kalm Castle, Linz. Simple Minds were listed on
a-Ha's official site and the event's official site and tickets were issued with Simple Minds as "special guests". However,
the Simple Minds official site never confirmed.
Instead, the band played in the Area Dome at Area 47. A Harley and Blues festival was held next door on the same day, but the two events were separate.
Thanks to Otto for all the information and pictures.
Home was on the set-list after Neon Lights but wasn't played.
This gig was originally scheduled for the Tempo Festival at Ciney. However, after a devastating storm in Belgium on the 14th July, the
gig was moved to Wex.
Thanks to JohnnyBGood for the set-list.
Win a copy of the Shadowland promo CD
I have two copies of the Shadowland promo CD to give away.
As the commerical single was just a download, this is your only way to pick up a physical copy.
To win a copy, answer the following question: Which Simple Minds song includes the line 'Pull me through to the shadowland'?
Please send your answer to me at simon@simpleminds.org. Competition closes on the 12th August.
Win a copy of the She Fell In Silence promo CD
I have two copies of the She Fell In Love With Silence promo CD to give away.
As the commerical single will be just a download, this is your only way to pick up a physical copy.
To win a copy, answer the following question: Needle Through My Heart includes the whispered
lines 'Is this a war? Is this a God?' Which Simple Minds song were they taken from?
Please send your answer to me at simon@simpleminds.org. Competition closes on the 12th August.
17th july 2010
tempo festival ciney gig, new lostboy! aka single, remixes, roskilde archive footage
Due to a devastating storm in Belgium, the Tempo Festival gig in Ciney on the 18th July has been moved to Wex in
Marche En Famenne. The date and time remains the same.
press release
earMUSIC announces the second radio single
She Fell In Love With Silence is the second single to be taken from self-titled debut album from
Lostboy! A.K.A Jim Kerr, the musical alter-ego of the legendary Simple Minds singer/songwriter.
Produced by Jez Coad (Simple Minds last 2 albums) and featuring
Charlie Jones on bass (Robert Plant, Page & Plant, Goldfrapp)
alongside long-time Simple Minds drummer Mel Gaynor,
She Fell in Love With Silence is an electro-tinged, Joy Division-esque Pop masterpiece.
The track is taken from recently released and critically acclaimed Lostboy! A.K.A Jim Kerr album,
which was supported by a hugely successful sell-out club tour across UK and Europe. It
showcases a new musical alter ego for Jim, whilst retaining strong links with his 40-million selling,
33-year career with Simple Minds. It is all about big melodic themes, turbo charged rhythms and
guitars that shine.
Jim says about the track: "She Fell in Love With Silence With Silence involves the shattered emotions of a
victim of domestic abuse as she pauses to question how to make changes in life. Far from being
overburdened with its subject She Fell in Love With Silence bounces along with a searing melody that delights and
somehow projects the feeling that 'the blows will stop'."
James "Jim" Kerr is the founder, songwriter and voice of Simple Minds, one of the most influential
British bands to emerge from the Post-Punk revolution of 1978. After their "independent" early
years, the band developed into stadium stars, enjoying worldwide chart success with a raft of
genre-defining singles including Don't You (Forget About Me),
Alive And Kicking and
Mandela Day. Bands including Stereophonics,
Cardigans, and Kasabian regularly cite Simple Minds as
their formative influence.
As part of the celebrations surrounding the 40th anniversy of the Roskilde Festival, Denmark Radio have published
official videos of some of the many notable gigs. Included is Simple Minds' performance
(and first appearance at the festival) on the 1st July 1983.
Thanks to Joakim and Stef for the set-list and Joakim for the photos.
"The Lostboy! Electro Set will include 11 songs - 5 as yet not released by Lostboy! and including 3 covers of songs by
Moby, Massive Attack and Kraftwerk.
Also features In Every Heaven, written by Simple Minds and
originally recorded to be included on New Gold Dream - it has until now never been performed live."
- Jim, 14th July 2010.
Individual concerts will be released every Saturday in conjunction with various Belgian and Dutch newspapers. DeMorgan
will be offering the CDs for 6.95 euros (see this page for details)
with Live In The City Of Light being released on Saturday 14th August. Dutch paper
De Volkskrant will be running a similar promotion.
Alternatively the entire set is available to purchase here
from the 10th July.
The album is the standard remastered version of Live In The City Of Light repackaged in a white
sleeve.
27th june 2010
dream giver redux, new simple minds songs at paris, new simple minds album, return of the lostboy!, lostboy! glasgow, lostboy! record collector, lostboy! hamburg, dark flowers, lostboy! luxembourg, lostboy! electro set
My ISP suffered a server crash which resulted in Dream Giver Redux being wiped off the
face of the Internet. Therefore I had to reload the entire site and it’s all back on-line now.
I’ve also taken this opportunity to ensure the sections on Lostboy! and Simple Minds'
current tour and new album are now fully up-to-date.
For those who are interested, the Dream Giver Redux stats are:
7,825 files
372 folders
406 MB
Simple Minds debuted two new songs in Paris, kicking off the evening with Stage Fright and
Fire Fighter. This was the first time since the 1997 Festival Tour
that Simple Minds have played new material at a gig before its release.
Unfortunately, no recordings of these new songs have yet surfaced.
"Due to a lack of time we played two new songs as opposed to three. Started the set with Stage Fright and led
into Fire Fighter, a very warm reaction came our way. Magic night. Songs from thirty years came across
as new songs and brand new songs fitted right in with the true classics. Entire set seems timeless. Band played better than ever. No argument with
this, only an idiot could disagree. Great audience. Big thanks!" - Jim
Simple Minds'Jim Kerr'sLostboy!
side-project debut is out via Edel, and Record Collector asked him how
it came about.
"I had a couple of songs from a long time ago and they'd pop up on the iPod and I'd think, 'gee, this is good'!
But I feel so engergised now, as I was finishing the last Simple Minds album, I'd go in the
studio and work on Lostboy!. Over the last two years, I saw I needed an outlet, and
Jim Kerr solo album would be so fuckin' predictable. This was grabbing a
week here and there in a mini-studio to demo, then late last year we went to Rockfield and cut the
backing tracks in 10 days. Then it was post-production."
Are there any out-takes?
A couple of beauties that were from a different place, and I'm working on
The Return Of The Lostboy! now as you can hear
[in the background], and we'll play them live. Is there anything unissued in the archives?
Not Simple Minds, except a lot of live footage from the last 10 years. And before
Simple Minds, no one had a fuckin' video camera, except some bizarre uncle out in the
garden shed. And God knows what he was up to!
Did you have a favourite record shop back in the day?
The first hippy-dippy Virgin in Glasgow, when I was 14, off school to listen to
Hawkwind on the headphones. And Listen which was great for imports -
New York Dolls, Patti Smith.
What was your first record?
Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle Of The Road. And the first album
Genesis Foxtrot, scratched and bought off a mate.
What is the best gig you saw?
Loads. Todd Rundgren's Utopia,
Yes, The Who, Zeppelin, Quo,
Lizzy, Alex Harvey, Television,
Talking Heads. Bowie was great, Peter Gabriel and
Steve Harley was brilliant. I got Bowie cassette bootlegs like
Santa Monica, Genesis and Roxy Music clear vinyl. But now
I've got nothing - I gave it all away, including all my own records!
What would you ask your hero? Bowie - when did you discover you could sing like that?
Did you collect anyone? Kraftwerk, I had to get everything, including German versions, and Bowie.
My first school trip at 14 was to Rimini, and my mum gave me £20, and on the first day, I spent it on records
I already had, but with picture sleeves or picture discs. Buying records then was underground, and listening had to
be done in your room, spending hours listening to every detail.
Which artist would you do on Mastermind? Bowie. No one's done anything really new since the 80s. No one sounded like Morrissey,
Boy George - fantastic originality. I remember seeing Lenny Kravitz and thinking he was
good, but you'd seen it all before. Nothing innovative whatsoever. Sicne then, it's all been copycat bands, with
only a few amazing talents, like Chris Martin, who's first four albums were all great.
What fact about you would surprise fans?
I'm very humourous. It doesn't come across on stage but we're never more than five minutes away from pissing ourselves.
Usually at my expense!
The Dark Flowers came into being after musician/writer
Paul Statham read Motel Chronicles by
Sam Shepard while listening to The Hired Hand
soundtrack album by Bruce Langhorne,
from the 1970's film of the same name. The desire to set the sentiments of Shepard's book (abstract tales of misfits,
love loss and desert heat!) to the haunting western sounds became a starting point. This was
further mutated by his love of Brian Eno’s Another Green World and
the featured singers/lyricist’s talents to take these simple ideas and twist them into a bizarre reality.
The featured vocalists so far include Jim Kerr,
Dot Allison, Peter Murphy, Shelly Poole,
Helicopter Girl, Remi Roughe and Kate Havnevik.
"The Dark Flowers is a musical project by Paul Statham who also wrote the music of
Lostboy! AKA'sReturn Of The King.
(Paul has a number of tracks that are almost certain to feature on
the next LBAKA album). I admire
Paul's music very much and love the idea behind The Dark Flowers. To date I think I have written/sung on six
songs with Dark Flowers. More to come. Please visit and support Dark Flowers". - Jim
The haunting first track from this collaboration, Radio Land, which features Jim, can be heard
on The Dark Flowers Myspace website.
Lostboy! is going to perform twelve "Electro Sets" for various european/UK radio stations in August.
This "two man show" will be exclusive to select major radio stations and competition winners. The line up features
vocals by Jim Kerr with keyboards and programmed percussion by
Simon Hayward (although after thinking about it, Jim
has asked Sarah Brown along as well). Shows will be recorded to be
broadcast on air afterwards. Dates are now being confirmed and will be announced shortly.
Jim Kerr does it from now on as "Lostboy".
"This is the start of a long story".
Brussels. On the 9th of July, he'll be 51, but the man himself claims to be in his most creative period
of his existence and a second life next to Simple Minds is more than justified. Enter
Jim Kerr's alter-ego Lostboy!, which wants to give space
to the passionate
young musician, once mastering his creative spirit.
JK: My music still is my passion. And the older I get, the bigger that passion grows and the more I
enjoy it. The odds are good with me as musician. For example, the rebirth of Simple Minds
after the dark 1990s. Nowadays we still play sold-out gigs, our last CD
Grafitti Soul did very well and it's more than a nostalgic
trip for a generation that survived the punk period and the upcoming new wave from the very beginning. I do
see lots of young people at gigs to know the existence of Simple Minds is
assured, but besides that I feel the need to do it all over again by myself.
Q: It occurs to me you still profoundly like to travel around the world promoting Lostboy! and Simple Minds. JK: I'm not feeling superior not to do that. You have to come out and defend yourself, making others
enthusiastic. The music business doesn't allow you to hide in your ivory tower, with exception of some legends who
can afford anything they want. And I don't feel the need to isolate myself and play the role of an artist towards
the world. The periods in which I wander alone and by myself through life are all in parts of the music.
Q: Along with LB you seem to begin a second life in which creativity is a keyword. JK: I agree, otherwise you don't start a solo-album once you’re fifty. Some months ago everyone
asked me how Lostboy! would sound, whilst now the question is why I come up with a solo CD. The main reason
is I dig more and more into the music and bring to the surface the things I'm happy with. And that is kind of
strange when you're getting older, as you're getting stricter for yourself. Furthermore I never felt so
connected to an album since I was 18 or 19 years old.
Q: Whilst having your state of career , you got everything to sit back and enjoy your old days. JK: [Laughs] That thought occurs to me in a lack of a moment, but is quickly forgotten when
I wake up in the morning around 4 or 5 o'clock and find myself walking to my study to write. In these moments
I'm amazingly productive. You can see and feel the day rising, everything wakes up and it isn’t too hot outside.
By 10 o'clock I worked for a half day and that feeling feeds me in a special way. The hunger to write music and
bring it out has never been so big. I want to be judged on what I do right now and not on what I've done before.
Once Neil Young claimed that it isn’t important what you produce as musician when you're young.
The things you do as older musician make the difference and to that I completely agree.
Q: Didn't it feel strange to work on your new CD without the help of Charlie? (Burchill, guitarist and
songwriter in Simple Minds) JK: Well, it felt wee bit different, but as I'm driving on a side road, it gives more than
pleasure to join Charlie on the highway. Charlie and I also lead each different lives. We're real brothers
in arms for far over 30 years and this connection cannot be destroyed ever. But Charlie still has young kids,
while mine are adults and leading their own lives. So, it's more than comprehensible that Charlie wants to
go home as soon as possible after a gig to join his family, whilst on such moments I immediately start
thinking about new songs. I can feel a healthy creativity running through my veins and I don't let
my mind stand in its way.
Q: And of course now you're anxious to play these tracks live, aren't you? JK: Absolutely, because it's all brand new. Each night we're perform I live with the idea it
might be the last one we play live, so on those moments you open up the throttle without thinking. Imagine how
I feel right now. The stage is for Lostboy an empty canvas and I'm planned to use the most diverse and blinking
colours there are. It might sound very cliché but I'm really looking forward to it!
Q:To confirm : Lostboy! doesn't happen to be just a hobby? JK: Certainly not! Lostboy! is the beginning of a long, long story. Songs
already have been written for the following-up album, and the ideas are flowing in. That's why I can say
without blushing that the best is yet to come!
More pictures of the Hannover gig can be found on
NDR's website. NDR filmed
the festival and parts of it will be shown on NDR 3 television on the 27th August at midnight.
"Can a man write, but only one story in his life?" After 30 years being in his most famous rock
group Simple Minds, Jim Kerr (50) thought it was time for a
surprising new story: a solo career. "I look at Simple Minds as a cruise ship. Besides that,
I got my own speedboat."
To break the ice, we're told the story that a long, long time ago we were kicked out of the backstage area
of the Brussels AB because we wanted his signature. Jim Kerr smiles: "And did you get it then?
In that way, every city has its own memory for me. When I take a cab here in Brussels, the memories come
flooding by: the concert halls where we played, the hotels where we slept. But I don't look them up, I'm
not a nostalgic person. I don't live in the past."
For the best proof of that, Jim Kerr delivers it these days. After more than 30 years of a
career with Simple Minds and far over 40 millions of sold albums, the Scottish man comes up
for the first time with a solo CD under the name of Lostboy! Aka Jim Kerr (or
Lostboy! also known as Jim Kerr).
The fans don't have to fear: this doesn't mean the end of Simple Minds who are still worshipped
in Belgium. "That cruise ship still continues proudly and firmly in its course. At the moment, I don't know
where my fast and manoeuvrable speedboat will me, but I do know it takes me back time after time to my mothership."
You can hear especially the young and frustrated Jim Kerr of somewhat 18 years old on this solo-album. Why? JK: When I had a handful of songs, I could hear an echo of my past in it. They took me back to
the time of who I was then. To what I was thinking, to Glasgow where I used to live, to the books I was reading.
To the guy who didn't want people to look at him, but wanted to dress differently. To the guy who had his dreams,
but was afraid to tell them because he was scared everyone would laugh with him. I didn't want to make a "Jim Kerr"
record. That would have been boring. I wanted something more exciting. And so I ended up with this little boy: Lostboy.
How did you tell your brother-in-arms, guitarist Charlie Burchill,
since the beginning your support and buddy within Simple Minds? It’s like telling your wife you're
sleeping with other woman! JK: "I’ve never slept with Charlie, so I don't get the point
why you are asking me this. [Laughs] But you're right. At first, he was a little stoic. He's having another phase in
his life: his kids are younger than mine. In my case, I’ve now got more time for these kind of projects. But from
the moment he heard a couple of songs, a silence came over him. “We should’ve made these type of songs years ago
with Simple Minds,” he said. That really took me really by surprise!
Meanwhile, you’ve got a hotel in Sicily. Does it happen people don't know it is yours and you scare the hell
out of them as they see you at breakfast? JK: "Maybe. Of course, there are also Simple Minds fans amongst my guests. But
a lot of people don't know it indeed. Or it's some American people who have read about it on the Internet, but
in fact don't care. And I sometimes hear them say: “Do you know that singer of Simply Red works here? [Laughs]
At the age of 15 you were helping at concerts in Glasgow. One day, you were standing next to Lou Reed,
but you didn't dare to ask him for a signature. You once were in the car of Bruce Springsteen; no
signature either. Who did you ask one for finally? JK: "Ah, that night with Lou Reed. Can you imagine that was the first time I heard
an American accent? As they were looking for some pizza, I bloody thought they were looking for drugs. [Laughs] I'd
never heard of pizza that time. And Springsteen: how lucky can a man get? He allowed me to come along
for a ride in his car and let me hear his new live album. But a signature? I only asked footballers for their
signature. I never dared to ask a rock star. I was too afraid that the older ones that were helping build
the stages would laugh at me.
"Talking about signatures...Can you believe me when I tell you I also remember very clearly that evening in
Brussels at the AB? How could I not as there was a huge panic ! We almost fell out of drummer mid-way through
the tour. We had just bought a new tour-bus and the drummer was the only one with a legitimate driving-license.
That day he hit a few cars in the streets and our brand new tour-bus was covered with scratches! The poor guy was
so ashamed; he wanted to quit the band. We had to beg him to sit behind the drums that night. [Laughs]
3rd june 2010
lostboy! tour, lostboy! koln, lostboy! fnac signing, lostboy! brussels, lostboy! amsterdam, lostboy! paris
Many thanks to all those who sent in pictures and set-lists for the first
Lostboy! AKA tour. All the set-lists and selected pictures can
be found on the tour page.
My one-man show The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns is officially on the road.
Shows are being recorded, reviews written and videos on YouTube, and we are having a lot of fun
sharing the stories, sangs and clatter from the life and times of our Scottish Bard.
I'd like to see you.
My favorite venues are the small clubs and house concerts, where I can really get to know the people I
play for (and with!). House concerts are so much fun, and so memorable, that it's a growing national
trend. American Airlines did a story on it last December, and CNN is doing a story about it next month. Are
you a little bit curious?
I'd love to play for you and your friends, so please contact me if you are interested. We can compare calendars
and decide when I could be in your area.
Venue:
The Borderline, a subterranean sweat pit in the shadow of the demolished Astoria.
Position:
Centre-right (next to the bar).
The Gig:
It was a common view that early Simple Minds was never truly committed to record. The recorded
tracks on vinyl were great, but the live shows ratcheted up every attribute on every level. The early crowds
left with the feeling that those shows were the real deal and nothing else came close.
Such fighting talk revolved around the first Lostboy! shows with Jim
and company promising the same experience. A feeling that they’d achieved their goal filtered out through the first
few reviews of the initial Scottish shows. These acknowledged the Lostboy! live material with
succinct brevity: the superlatives spilled forth, but their recollections of the event were short, as if they were
overwhelmed by the performance.
Therefore it was with some anticipation that we left the glorious sunshine of this hot May day and descended
into the darkened pit of the Borderline. It was a small basement, equipped with two small bars, equally small
stage, and a packed audience area.
This wasn’t going to be a visual spectacular. The stage was so cramped that the band had difficulty clambering
into their positions. The lighting comprised of simple banks of coloured incandescent light bulbs (expertly manned by
Steve Pollard). Drummer Gordon Wilson could hardly be
seen at the back of the tiny stage, as he was blocked from view by bassist Ged Grimes,
Jim and Jez Coad. Yet, as the opening
bars of Refugee filled the dark venue, it was clear that it was only going
to be about the music, and Lostboy! were going to deliver.
The album was represented well in a set-list which included early Simple Minds treats, a rare
and almost forgotten collaboration (Cynical Heart),
covers and two new Lostboy! songs. None of the songs had yet to deviate too far from their origins
(although it was too early to expect them to do so) but Remember Asia and
Bulletproof Heart stood out from the crowd.
The selection of rare Simple Minds songs were treated with due reverence by the partisan crowd as
Lostboy! re-created their no-nonsense, no-thrills, hard-edged form. Best of the three was
Someone which flew by, now betraying punk underpinnings under the
tutorage of Lostboy!, rather than as the slightly frisky new-wave opener from Simple Minds’
debut LP.
Best received were Refugee, Lostboy’s take of
Cynical Heart which pulled it away from its poppier surroundings
and slapped on some much needed solidity, the new single Shadowland,
Someone, the finale of What Goes On,
and new song Broken Glass Park. The latter was greeted with the
concentrated silence required of a new song, but soon infected the audience, and is destined to be a classic from the
next Lostboy! album. “We had fun, fun, fun, fun..!”
The lasting impression was of a lean, mean, line-up adding extra propulsion and guts to the Lostboy!
album. The songs flew by, given extra velocity by the solid underpinnings of Wilson’s stoic drumming,
Grime’s substantial bass lines, and extra gloss from Coad’s
stupendous guitar lines (who earns extra points for the rock n’ roll excess of wearing shades in the dark cave of the
Borderline). Perhaps, because of its unique lineage, Lostboy! also suffers from the same problems that
bugged early Simple Minds, and the live experience is a magnitude away from the recorded material.
Which, perhaps, is a good problem to have.
Also-spotted: Mel Gaynor watched the gig from the stairs.
23rd may 2010
updates, lostboy! rehearsal gig, losboy! aberdeen gig, new simple minds dates, belfast child video
There will be daily updates of Dream Giver over the next week so I can catch up with the frantic activity of the past week. Album formats,
band-lineups and set-lists are coming.
The Lostboy lyrics are now online for the songs on the standard CD. (I know the graphics are wrong on the pages - I need to spend some time
with a scanner and Photoshop next week, but they'll get sorted).
"Jim Kerr and his band turned back the years last night at the ABC in Glasgow as they
warmed up for the Lost Boy Tour
with a truely awesome gig. It blew me away and the only comparison I can make is with the
Sons and Fascination tour of Canada and the USA in 1981 when
Steve Pollard joined the gang (he was there last night doing lights).
If you are lucky enough to have tickets for any of the shows, be prepared for the 'real deal', it was wonderful!
- Bruce Findlay (an old fan).
The only reviews of Lostboy's warm-up gig in Glasgow were simple statements bubbling with superlatives. They were
all too far blown away talk further. Luckily, I believe this to be the set-list, pieced together after talking to some of the lucky
few:
Lots of new Simple Minds' dates added to the Festival Tour:
Transbordeur, Lyon, France 7th June, 2010
La Cooperative de Mai, Clermond Ferrand, France 8th June, 2010
L'autre Canal, Nancy, France 14th June, 2010
Bataclan, Paris, France 18th June, 2010
Theatre de Verdure, Corsica, France 22nd July, 2010
Festival Des Voix Du Gaou, France 27th July, 2010
Those who love the Belfast Child video should check out the
video for Billy Joel's Downeaster Alexa - the two share certain similarities.
(And could that be because it was the same director and shot in the same year?). You can check out Downeaster Alexa on
Youtube.
14th may 2010
lostboy! aka preview gig
A special preview show by Lostboy! A.K.A. has just been announced and is to take place in the tiny ABC2 venue, Sauchiehall Street,
Glasgow on Tuesday 18th May 2010. Doors open at 8.00pm UK time.
Tickets CANNOT BE BOUGHT for this special performance but 25 pairs of tickets can be won by members of lostboyaka.com!
Simply send your lostboyaka.com 'Username' along with your first and second name to the following email address before
midnight on Saturday 15th May: competition@lostboyaka.com
eg:
Username
Firstname Surname
25 winners will be chosen at random by Jim and their names will be added to a guest list at the door of
the venue. Winners will be notified before the show. Winners must bring photo ID that matches the name on the list to gain entry!
Kind regards and good luck, Lostboyaka.com
P.S. Jim said he would try to sign any copies of the new album on the night!
[Tickets will also be available to win from Radio Clyde 1, The Scottish 'News of the World' and Scottish 'Sunday Mail' newspapers.]
10th may 2010
shadowland single, discography update
The Shadowland single is now available for
download from Amazon. The
tracks released include the two Cenzo Townshend mixes of Shadowland and the album
version of Refugee. (The same three tracks previously available on the promo.)
However, there appears to be some confusion. The single has been reschedueld for the 28th May and will feature:
So, there are downloads available now with more to come. And if it is a mistake, then grab the Cenzo Townshend Mix Radio Edit quick - as it isn't available
on the revised single.
The Simon Mayo interview was broadcast slightly earlier than announced, with Jim appearing
just after 6:00PM. A transcription appears below and the interview is available via
the BBC's iPlayer (it starts at 0:59.00).
SM:Jim, could you explain this project, because I’m not quite sure what to call
your band now, or this individual solo project. JK: I’m confused myself! It’s called Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr. Lostboy’s a style of music and I am Jim Kerr – or
I was the last time I looked. SM: Right. So the artist then is Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr - JK: Yes, and that’s also the title of the album. SM: The album is Lostboy! AKA Jim Kerr. Could you not have been just Jim Kerr? JK: At the time it came, it just wasn’t getting the juices flowing. SM: But it’s your name! JK: Yes, but Jim Kerr is a geezer in Simple Minds. SM: I knew I’d seen you before somewhere. So, by putting Lostboy! there, the statement is that this is different stuff. It’s
still me, but it’s different. JK: Well, it’s something apart, but there’s a borderline. Obviously there are some traits that one would expect, but basically
over the last two years – this is where it gets a wee bit mysterious – I’ve never known a time when I was as prolific and in to it as I am
just now. Just as the music industry is apparently going down the tubes, there’s me saying ‘This thing’s great’ and ‘Let me play, let me write.’
But I am really into it and there’s a volume of stuff. JK:Simple Minds, like most classic bands, do an album every three or four years. That’s fine and everyone enjoys
it, and I want to continue as long as I’m enjoying it. But in this interim period, I don’t want to sit on the beach – I don’t mind sitting
on the beach for a day or a weekend, but I’m really enjoying playing, I’m really enjoying writing and I’m really enjoying what was coming out.
The problem I had was ‘What’s it going to be?’ because I didn’t want to start another band – I like the band I’m in – and the "Jim Kerr"
thing wasn’t getting me jumping up and down. JK: However, when I got to the first three or four tracks, there was something about them – I’m not easily nostalgic but there
was a certain nostalgia there which was taking me back to a period of music, 1978-1982, a lot of sounds that I liked. But, somehow, it was also
taking me back to the person that I remember being – at least I think I remember being – and then I thought I was connecting to this ‘lost’ part of
me - this lost boy. JK: So, believe it or not, that’s actually the short version so we could go on and on! SM: So is it musically taking you back to when you were younger, or are you writing songs as though you were still there? JK: Both. It’s evoking times, it’s evoking thoughts. It’s evoking postcards from back there.
SM: I’ve heard the record through twice now and there are some bits that are very definitely new and you think ‘That wouldn’t be a
Simple Minds track’ and there’s other stuff like The Wait Parts One & Two,
the last track, which is a beautifully produced song and sounds fantastic, and I can imagine that still being on a Simple Minds record. JK: I think there is a borderline. Unless I was to do a "Jim Kerr Sings Sinatra" or the Jim Kerr songbook, there was always going to be – When
Lennon and McCartney – two other of my contemporaries [laughs] – when they left The Beatles it
was still not a million miles from The Beatles because that essence was still within the music. But it’ll take me – and I’m really
serious about this – it’ll take me two or three records to become Lostboy and less of this borderland material between the two. But it took
Simple Minds two or three records to really grow its own thing. SM: So this isn’t a one-off project. You want Lostboy to carry on? JK: That’s part of the challenge. Some people think I’m having a little holiday here but I’m definitely not. I’m really into it.
I’m working on the next one as we speak.
SM: Why do you think you’re so prolific then? Why do you think these songs have come tumbling out of you now? Is it a stage of
life thing? What is it that you’re writing about? JK: It is definitely a stage of life. Another thing is, unlike my partner Charlie Burchill – at
this stage of life, Charlie’s kids are a lot younger than mine, his kids are growing up, so when the work’s
done for him, the job’s done. The job’s never done for me. For instance, when we worked on the last Minds album,
Graffiti Soul – which was a joy to work on – as soon as I’d done my part in the studio I wasn’t
satisfied. I wanted to work on the next idea I was pushing forward. And I have the time to do it as well. JK: When I started making music, 18-19, it was the first thing I thought of when I got out of bed in the morning, the last thing
at night, and all during the day. I was fairly one dimensional. But it was the only thing in my life. Obviously as the band caught fire, took off,
the actual time you spend creating gets less and less – because you’ll spend eight months on tour, four months promoting, the band itself becomes
an industry – gradually you could find that, without even noticing, you’re spending about fifteen percent of your time on the actual creativity
whereas at one point it was eighty percent of the time. I’m not eighteen again, but it somewhat reminded me of that time – I’ve got that heat
again, that immersion.
SM: Is it quite liberating not to have other member of the band – not to have Charlie there to say
‘what do you think?’ Or is it actually quite scary? JK: I love Charlie and I love his input always. And we have been joined at the hip,
so it was definitely weird. But at the same time, I felt a wee bit guilty of wanting the cake and eating it: I do want the Simple Minds
thing to continue and it will. But I was wanting a blank page, I was wanting a point ‘A’ again, so I’m really looking forward to not only the record
coming out but within days I’ll be back playing in clubs that I first played in Glasgow when I was 18. SM: Which will be quite a change from the stadiums that you’re used to with Simple Minds. JK: Yeah. But it’s exciting. They all are. If you’re any good, you should be able to do them all. You should be able to play Bar Mitzvahs.. SM: Are you still any good? JK: This what I’m about to find out [Laughs]
SM: So you’ve got your clean sheet of paper. Shadowland is the track we’re going to play.
Can you tell us a bit about it and then we’ll play it. JK: It was one of the earliest songs to come up. I think we felt it was a really good pop tune. I was concerned a wee bit
when they said this is the first song for radio. I thought ‘Hang on, this is the most Simple Minds of all the fourteen or fifteen
that we actually recorded.’ But that might not be a bad thing.
Audio: Shadowland [Cenzo Townshend Mix - Radio Edit]
SM: What a great place to be that at the age of forty, or whatever age you are now... JK: Forty plus ten. SM: Forty plus ten, that you’re not just relying on your back catalogue. A lot of people who get [your age] are still making money,
are still touring, but all they’re interested in is playing the oldies. Of course, people want to hear the old stuff, but you’re coming along and saying
“My new stuff is just as exciting. This is what I need you to be listening to. The response is good. JK: The response is great. But it’s a real, real challenge and a couple of mates said “Why do you wanna do this?” I said “I’m really
into it. I need to do it. I’m getting a thrill again out of the whole puzzle of music. It’s such a subjective thing. You write a song, you
and I might think it’s great, we play it to someone else and they go ‘I don’t know.’ I really, really love it. The Simple Minds story
is something I’ve been blessed to have that going through my life, fantastic fans and many of them are listening in to this, but it’s important
not to paint yourself into a corner. If you do, you calcify. Suddenly ideas become illusive again. JK: I used to believe in this thing, “the muse”: how come you could write three songs in a week and then nothing for six months,
and then I thought ‘this is a cop out, this muse lark, you’ve got to get up early and go at it and use the creative muscles. SM: Discipline. JK: Discipline lad! Yeah. SM: Up at six, breakfast, tea... JK: Up at five.
SM: You mentioned the fans who are listening and you’re absolutely write. This is Silvia in Long Island, New York:
“Very excited you’ve got Jim Kerr on the programme. We’re looking forward a lot to Lostboy with great
anticipation. All the tracks I’ve heard so far are excellent. The Wait is stunning,
Shadowland is haunting, and the Simon Hayward remix of Refugee
cracks the dance floor. Soloman Solohead is a brilliant reminiscence of the early Simple Minds.
So clearly she’s gone through the whole thing. Thank you for giving the Lostboy a prominent platform to promote the work. I’ll be tuning in
from across the pond on my birthday.” Silvia in Long Island. SM:David in Belfast: “Simon, great that Jim’s on the programme.
Big Simple Minds fan and I’ve followed them for years. I’m really excited about this new idea, Lostboy.
Jim had my full support with this. And the songs I’ve heard so far are outstanding.” SM: And maybe the record company [are right], they know what they’re doing in making that the first single. They’re saying
‘Well, there’s some interesting stuff, but it’s still Jim Kerr – don’t be too worried, he’s
not making a thrash metal record.” JK: Well, I think that’s right. There’s is sense in that. But it’s great to hear these reports. I was nervous about the
Simple Minds fanbase. The people on the outside will say “Well, if you can’t depend on them for your support, who can you?”
but fans, and I’m one, can be very, very conservative, and we get a bit anxious when the old line-up gets messed around and you think
‘What’s going on and what’s this weird thing coming next’ but the reaction has been great and I appreciate it. SM: Do you play this stuff to your kids? JK:James hasn’t heard it but Yasmin’s heard it. I quite liked her comments. She said “Dad, you’ve
got your young voice back” and it was a great thing to say and I wasn’t aware she’d knew my young voice. But that was nice. SM: Are you still embarrassing dad? I mean, all dads are embarrassing but when you’ve got a dad who’s actually been, and
still is, a huge star who can stadiums, does she say “Oh, don’t dance like that.” JK: Oh, certainly. I think it was a while ago and she was in the back of the car and “Simple Minds are touring”
came on over the radio (it might’ve been Radio Two) and she said “Are you touring again Dad?” and I said “Yeah” and there was a silence and then
I heard her saying: “That’s sweet.” [Laughs] SM: Anyway, you’ve got your young voice back, so that’s a fantastic thing. JK: I’ve got my young voice back indeed.
SM: Do we congratulate Rangers on winning the title? JK: Well, I think we do because I think the most staunch Rangers fans would say, technically, it’s not the best Rangers
team that’s ever been in existence but they got a vibe together and they really dug in and they’ve got a great manager.
SM: And is life still many based in Sicily, Glasgow or a combination of the two? JK: It’s a bit all up in the air just now. Sicily’s been a great thing for me and people who know what I do know
that Sicily has been part of my life for the past decade – a huge part of it. But, the last couple of years between the Minds and - Lostboy is a
Glasgow creation and I’m as much back there just as anywhere else.
SM: So, to King Tuts then. JK: King Tuts, which is where Johnny And The Self Abusers, the infamous, did their second ever gig. SM: Now that was a young voice. JK: That was a young voice, yes. SM: Are you going to play any of those songs? JK: Tempted to. [Laughs] SM: Jim, always good to speak to you, thank you very much indeed.
26th april 2010
lostboy! radio
Shadowland has now been added to the BBC Radio Two playlist
with Jonathan Ross playing the track on his popular Saturday morning show.
Simon Mayo will be interviewing Jim on his BBC Radio Two
show this evening at 6:30PM (UK time).
25th april 2010
lostboy! shadowland, lostboy! album, lostboy! download, simple minds tour, ex simple minds
The debut single Shadowland will be issued on the 10th May.
Three track promos are already being distributed, many of which
include press releases. The full track listing of the single,
which will be an EP, isn't currently known.
Simple Minds are apparently playing the Arenal Sound Festival (in Burriana, Spain) on the 30th July. They’re listed on the
event’s website, but this gig has yet to be confirmed by simpleminds.com.
However, many more European festival appearances have been added to the tour.
Ex Simple Minds site has now moved to www.exsimpleminds.co.uk. Here you'll
find the latest news about Derek and Brian including
all the dates of their UK tour (which includes an extensive tour in September / October).
13th april 2010
lostboy! interview
A Blast From The Future!! Lostboy AKA!
Interview with Jim Kerr
This edition’s exclusive interview and featured artist is
legendary Simple Minds front man Jim Kerr with the release
of one of the most highly anticipated solo projects of 2010.
Having enjoyed a successful career with Simple Minds for
over 30 years, Jim now has a collection of his own songs.
From the influences and inspirations that paved the path for
one of the most influential bands in history, Jim created an
alter ego Lostboy! AKA to perform and compose songs
which recreate the inspiration and the desire he felt as a
frustrated young musician.
As with all songs that Jim has written over the years, to
find the true essence of any song is to play it live and that
same ethos is transpired to Lostboy AKA. I caught up with
Jim to find out what is behind this build up of songs that
have been drifting around with him for all these years and
why now! Talking from Nice in the South of France a
relaxed Jim Kerr, confidently talks about the past, present
and the future, with a great insight on how this relentless
creative spirit, keeps on rising!
JS: Jim, who is this Lostboy character? JK: I wanted to do something that took me back to the
beginning, I have felt for a while now that I have some kinda
unfinished business to attend to, it’s been burning for a wee
while and more so recently. I had this feeling that this would
happen some day but never knowing when and even more
so if there would be a right time! I have, over the years
found a way to revisit the past, which I'm totally ok with. I
have been blessed with a great career with Simple Minds
and that story has many chapters still to write, but at the
moment I have the creative bug that’s burning brighter than
ever before. It’s hard to contain sometimes, I love song
writing passionately and for some reason I really fancied a
new approach to music. Call it a fresh start and the
realisation of doing something without a history. A fresh
look kinda revitalised me in a way I had never thought
possible. As for the timing of this, it just felt right to do this
now and since that realisation everything seems to be
falling in place. The feeling that brings is great and so far
so good!
JS: Why has Lostboy come to see the light in 2010? JK: It just felt right to get immersed into this now, a few
reasons & some bizarre coincidences. The time felt right
and I really wanted to do this without a safety net, no
parachute! The music has to stand up on its own merits. As
with Simple Minds all songs are born to be played live and
that’s the ultimate test for a good song to a truly great song. I
am also surrounded by a great dedicated bunch of
people who I love working with. Without that I suppose
it would be a different feeling and would I still be doing
this? I don’t know! I wanted it to be part of a different
story. The Simple Minds sound track is constantly
evolving but does there have to be only one story? Is
that how my life is meant to be? I don’t think so! I
thought a lot about that, after the 30th anniversary tour, it
hit me more than I would ever have contemplated. It is
good to go back and have a look at the past but you
need to find and live that balance - the future is the
place we’re going now!
Another major factor is the recording/music business
itself. This wouldn’t have been possible a few years
ago as we have always been tied into some contract
where you can't do this or can't do that. The thing that I
disliked the most is the way it was structured, it was a
case of doing only one project at a time. There are so
many bands and artists that have numerous projects on
the go and I always like the idea of that artistically and it
keeps life interesting.
As a musician I find myself constantly looking for that
creative pot of gold! It's the same with Simple Minds -
on a few occasions I felt we‘d found it! But even so
there is so much still to be discovered!
Simple Minds are also having a wee bit of time out at
that moment and apart from a few gigs down under, I
had the time to look at Lostboy AKA plus the raw
excitement and positive reaction to the demos! All
roads just led to where I am now!
JS: Why the name Lostboy AKA? Wouldn’t Jim Kerr suffice? JK: Good question, I felt a Jim Kerr album wouldn’t be
as challenging and maybe looked upon as predictable. I
wanted to create a character born out of frustration and
eagerness and to create an entity all on its own. I
wanted to emphasise on what I had within that needed
to break out - a person consumed within a person! The
idea of going back to when I was a kid and trying to find
a way to communicate with the desire to succeed and
elaborate on so many influences that contributed to my
career, a kinda path I would have taken if Simple Minds
had never of happened. Lostboy is a part of me within
me! Call it an alter ego!
JS: Describe the music Jim - will the Lostboy sound be similar to Simple Minds? JK: Of course there will be some characteristics the
same, I have sung with Simple Minds for years and my
voice is still the same. Charlie Burchill has always
played a major part to the Simple Minds sound, live and
on record, and of course all the other musicians we
have played with over the years. The instant connection
of my voice will be there but there is a new originality
to the music, a lot more space, and by using different
musicians the whole thing has a very different feel to it.
If there were any references to Simple Minds it would
be only in the very early days. Jez Coad plays guitar on
the album and it has a completely different approach
and vibe to it. Jez also produced the album and he is a
very talented producer.
JS what can we expect with Lostboy AKA Live? JK: Lostboy AKA live is what I am looking forward to
the most. The level of musicianship I have immerged
myself into is exceptional and the set is going to be full
of energy and passion. Lostboy AKA kicks off on the 21st
May in Aberdeen; Glasgow the following night, down to
London on the 23rd and there is also going to be a
handful of European dates to follow shortly. We’re
playing tiny intimate clubs which I always like. It also
takes me back to the beginning, with Simple Minds -
what better way to start the ball rolling in a tiny club
with everyone going nuts!
We also intend to play some very rare Simple Minds
songs have never been played live before. We are still
working on them now but I can promise all the Lostboy
gigs will be very special nights indeed; I would love to
take "Lostboy! AKA" around the world. These small
intimate gigs are just the start of things to come and
that’s a promise!
The album "Lostboy! AKA" will be released on May
17, 2010
For more information on Lostboy AKA please visit
www.lostboyaka.com for live dates, news and of
course to buy the album.
The music has the same energy you would expect
with anything from Jim Kerr - innovative, creative
and full of emotion. The whole collection of songs
has such a futuristic feel, it’s like nothing you have
heard before. This album is not about the past, it’s a
glimpse into future, which incidentally, is now!!
Jamie Sinclair What's On South Devon
12th april 2010
lostboy! tourdates, billy sloan, zop interview
(I've been on holiday hence the lack of updates recently. There's a Lostboy! interview to be published tomorrow and some more discography updates later
in the week).
Tickets for the Brussels show will go on sale at www.botanique.be on
Monday 12th April at 12PM.
The Paris show will be at a different venue. It now looks like it will be the Divan Du Monde.
More UK and Irish gigs are planned for the end of June/start of July.
Zop is Simple Minds' tour manager. Shaun Tranter
tracked him down at the Sheffield Arena gig and asked him a few questions.
Interview with Zop
(Simple Minds' tour manager)
Having done a quick search on the net for Zop (aka David Yard) and drawn a blank, I was really looking
forward to meeting him and finding out a bit more about Zop and being Simple Minds’ tour manager.
The phone rings and it’s Zop telling me where to meet him at the Sheffield Arena. So with tape machine in hand, I go to the
meeting point. I'm then greeted by Zop to be told "I've got an extra surprise for you". My brain starts working overtime - what
is the extra surprise? I'm told "I’ve also sorted out an interview with Steve Pollard for you, is that OK?"
Is that OK? Silly question really.
ST: Can you shed any light on the name "Zop?" Z: The name Zop goes all the way back to when I was at school when I was about 11 years old. It did go away for a few years but
it came back again when I started in this business and it's stuck and I've been Zop ever since. ST: So what is Zop actually short for? Z: That’s for me to know and I'm not going to tell you [grins]... but I’m very rarely called Dave or David.
ST: So this your second tour with the band? Z: No, not really. I did most of the Black and White tour.
I took over from the tour manager roughly half way through.
[With that a shout comes through over Zop's radio that Manchester City have beaten Chelsea.]
Z: There you go, some very important information comes through on these radios [grins]. The show would fall to bits without the
important information that’s communicated on these radios.
ST: What’s your background in this industry? How did your "career" begin? Z: Right back to the very beginning I had a Morris Minor van and my mate was in a group and they were playing at a pub in my original
home town of Cambridge and I got roped into taking their gear to the gig. I spent a bit of time taking their gear round the area. Z: I then got a transit van and started to take the gear of another band around and things progressed and we started to get support slots for
the likes of The Undertones, Bad Manners, Joe Jackson and
The Jam. My first real proper tour was working with the support band for The Undertones in June 1980. The band got paid
£50 a night, £25 of that went to The Undertones to pay their crew for doing our sound and lights and stuff. So our tour budget was
£25 a gig (with nothing for days off) so the £25 had to pay for petrol, a room for the 3 band members (I slept in the van) plus we had to feed ourselves.
But it was one of the best tour I’ve ever done. Z: So it grew from there really. I just started driving the van, lugging gear about, then helping to set it up, doing back line tech
work and then it really just progressed from there. You meet a lot of people that know you’re in the business as such and then you basically progress
to being stage manager, production manager and end up being a tour manager.
ST: So on your CV, who have you tour managed? Z: The first band I ever tour manager were Husker Du (I managed virtually every show they ever did in Europe),
10,000 Maniacs, Transvision Vamp (who I worked with really right from the very start and they supported Simple Minds back
in 1989) and Lloyd Cole and the Commotions (who also supported Simple Minds back in 1986). You see it's a small world. Z: More recently I did a ten year stretch - not prison by the way [laughs] - with Jamiroquai. Z: I've also worked with Chris Rea. And I’ve also worked with Adele so I do work with young people as well!
I got Steve Pollard in on that tour as we couldn't find anyone and we were desperate for a lighting designer to do
Adele's lights. In all honesty Steve is a top lighting man.
ST: So how did you get to tour manage Simple Minds? Was it through word of mouth? Z: In a roundabout sort of way. When I was tour manager for Jamiroquai I got a Production Manager in called Julian Lavender in 1996-1997 and
Julian had also worked with Simple Minds. Julian doesn't work on the road anymore, but when
Simple Minds were looking for someone to fill-in (I think it was around 2003) Julian recommended me for the job. I've
done odd bits for Simple Minds since then and when they were looking for someone more permanent they contacted me... and here I am today.
That’s how a lot of it works in this business. Z: I seem to end up with basically a lot of what I call repeat business. I've worked with Chris Rea for the last ten
years on his tours. I've worked with the Human League (a local band, as we are in Sheffield) since 1998 (including in 2007 when they
were playing the Dare album in full at each gig).
ST: So with you being in demand, how far in advance do they say: "Zop were going on tour and we'd like you to be our tour manager?" Z: It's usually a good few months in advance but sometimes it’s short notice. For instance, for the Adele tour, things
started on the 6th Jan 2009 they didn't get in touch until 23rd December 2008 but with me shutting down as such for Christmas I didn't pick up their
messages until something like the 29th December 2008. Z: Then again the dates for this current Simple Minds tour have been in my diary since December 2008. In January,
I’m on the road with Chris Rea and those dates have been in the diary since the start of 2009. It can vary from band to band.
[With that Jim pops his head around the door to let Zop know he's going for a lie down on the bus
and that Zop is to get him at 8.15pm.]
Z: Just one of my many wide and varied tasks on the tour is to make sure that Jim
is awake in time to get ready for the show! ST: He still sounds a bit rough. Z: He always sounds like that as he’s from Glasgow. [Smiles] As you know, he’s not been too well, but he’s a lot better
than he was. When we were in the Balkans he was well rough. Those shows should’ve been cancelled to give Jim
the chance to recover properly, but Jim being the trooper that he is, soldiered on. He hates having to
cancel shows and will do anything to avoid it. None of the Simple Minds shows that I have been involved with have ever been cancelled.
It has been a close thing sometimes, including a show that Mel did when he was in excruciating pain with a kidney stone!
S: From when first contacted for a tour, what is your actual role as tour manager? Z: It varies really from band to band and tour to tour. Depending on how big the tour is and how many people are involved and what
the management do. Artist management can be massively involved in the tour (which can be both a positive or negative thing) or they can take
no interest at all and leave you the tour manager to get on with it. I have worked with acts where there is no management which makes the
tour manager’s role much more involved as there is so much more you have to do. For the Adele tour earlier this year I was Tour
manager and Production manager, basically because we were doing relatively small clubs in America. On the current Simple Minds’ tour,
I've got Derek Mcvay (who's the Production Manager) and he deals with all the crew, equipment, trucks and stuff like that. It does
really vary like I said, but generally I have to look after the financial side of things, make all of the travel arrangements, including hotels,
flights, tour busses, local ground transport etc. ST: So is it down to you to set up the tour itinerary? Z: Yeah that’s down to me. I make all the travel arrangements and, as is the case on this tour, I’ve sorted all the travel for
both the crew and the band. I work with a travel agent to make the hotel and flight reservations. I am also responsible for producing the tour
itinerary booklet which details all necessary touring information on a "page per day" basis. Everyone on the tour gets a copy of this booklet
so everyone has a basic idea of travel, hotels and timings. This itinerary booklet is commonly known as "the book of lies", although I would
obviously take issue with that! S: All that is done how far in advance? Z: The earlier the better. My view is everything should be in place before you go on the road, but not everybody works
like that. I didn't use to do that, as I hadn't been to tour management college! I learnt as I went along and made some mistakes. Each time
that I did make a mistake, I found a better way to do things - well I think I did anyway! In my opinion, it's all down to the pre-planning.
Really, everything should be in place before the tour actually starts and then once you are out on the road you should just be dealing with
changes and things that arise whilst you’re on the road. There are always plenty of changes to deal with! Z: Having said that you can plan too far in advance and end up changing things three or four times.
S: You've come in today from Manchester. Is your mobile office set up for you in advance? Z: Usually young Sam, our production assistant, sets everything up for us before we arrive but unfortunately
he's not very well today, and is back on the bus sleeping. Derek and I usually share an office. Sam's desk is
usually a right mess but as you can see as he's not very well, and not here, so his desk is very tidy indeed.
S: When you've got the band on stage for the show what do you do? Z: Gig time is my quiet time so that's when I catch up with lots of tasks that I've not managed to get done during the day. I also do
the settling up with the promoter which is the money side of things. That's done on the night of the gig as until the band go on stage you
don't know how many tickets you've sold and the promoter is still getting various expenses together. (So Shaun, are you thinking of becoming a tour manager?
Am I giving away too many secrets?)
S: So after the gig does it become manic and mental for you? Z: It's normally not too bad. Sometimes there is an "After Show" for me to deal with, where guests of the band will come back-stage
to meet the band. After the show it’s much more manic for the crew as they have to take the equipment down, put it in the trucks and get it on its way to the next show. I don't have anything to do with that. That’s Derek Mcvay's side of things.
Z: The sooner the crew get the Production down and out of the door, the sooner they can start drinking. [Laughs] No in all seriousness
the sooner they get it down the more sleep they get. Like tonight, they'll start taking the stuff down as soon as the band have gone off stage which will
be approx 11PM. They'll probably be on the bus by 2AM and on their way to Cardiff. Then they'll be loading into Cardiff at 7am.
S: Is it easier for the crew to set the stage up or take it down? Z: Taking it down is much quicker
S: Do you try and keep the same crew where possible or is it just who's available when the band are on tour? Z: It's always good to have familiar faces working on the tour, especially in the key positions such as Sound Engineers, Lighting Designer,
Video Director etc. We've got quite a lot of the people who worked on last year's tour working with us again on this tour. When people knew the dates for
the tour, a lot of people specifically made themselves available for this tour. For example, the video crew is the same as the tour in 2008 – they work
as a team and having the same team helps a lot. Especially when the team is as good as they are.
S: Does it help if you like the music of the band your touring with or doesn't that come in to play? Z: All the bands that I now do have had success, so you are aware of their music and, yes, it is a bonus if you’re asked to do a
tour of a band you really like. However it doesn't mean that I get to watch the full show. Thinking about it I don't think I've ever watched a full
show whilst being a tour manager for any of the bands I've worked with. Over the course of a complete tour I have probably seen bits that add
up to a full show but never a full show in one night. S: Where do you prefer to watch your bits of the shows from? Z: Always from the front-of-house (FOH) mixing desks, which is where you'll be watching the show from tonight with Steve.
I do not think that there is a lot of point watching the show from the side of the stage as you don't get to hear or see much. Watching from the side of
the stage gives you a different perspective, but it’s nothing like the audience are seeing or hearing, although it is always a good place to watch the
audience from. The reason I do make the effort to watch at least part of the show from the FOH mixing desks is to make sure that we are delivering what
the audience have paid money to see. I want to make sure that the show is sounding and looking as good a possible and I also want to feel "the vibe" from
the audience.
S: What's it like tour managing Eddie Duffy? [This was my question. I’m forever bumping into
Eddie "Update Your Website" Duffy at gigs as he seems to spend as much time mingling with the audience as
actually on stage. I wondered how this worked from the tour manager’s point of view – Simon] Z: [Laughs] Z: It's a challenge. He can be quite easy, as there are times when he just disappears and sleeps non-stop for days, but then there
are also times when he doesn't sleep at all. I'm not the sort of tour manager who babysits the band. They are big enough, old enough and ugly enough to
look after themselves and there is only one of me where there is five of them, so I can't possibly shadow them all the time. It's up to them to
do what they want to do with their spare time, as long as they are available at the specified time. To be honest all the people I work with are
professional enough to know they've got to put a show on at a certain time and be in certain places at certain times.
S: What size of venues to you prefer? Z: Doing arenas is a lot easier to work in from the working point of view. Personally, from a show point of view, I don't like
arenas as I don't know why anyone would want to go and see a band in an arena. If I wanted to go and see a band I'd go to the Shepherd's Bush Empire
and that's my favourite gig - I like that size of venue. There are some venues I look forward to going to more than others. You get to know the people
at the venues as well which is good.
S: Are there outdoor venues that you've been to that you thought "God, this is an awesome venue?" Z: The steps of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia really sticks in my mind – it is such a fabulous setting. That was with
Jamiroquai in 2002 and there was a massive fireworks display in harbour afterwards and I got to say "go fireworks" down the radio
and thankfully they went. Best fireworks I've ever seen. Z: With Simple Minds, we did St Marks square in Venice in June, which was pretty amazing. Some of the pictures
in the tour brochure were taken there. Simple Minds also performed at Edinburgh Castle this year, which is an incredible place to
have a show, but it was rather wet. S: How close did the Edinburgh Castle gig come to being postponed? Z: We had to postpone the original start time of the show. If it had gone on like that much longer with the rain coming down
like it was we would have had a few problems.
S: What's the downside of being a tour manager and where is home? Steve Pollard: Having to work with me. [Room fills with laughter] Z: Home is on the south coast about 10 miles north of Portsmouth. I was born in Cambridge and lived there until about 1984/85.
I met my future wife, who is from Portsmouth, in 1984 and I moved to the area so that she would be with friends and family when I was away from home.
And it has turned out that I’m away from home for a great deal of time every year!
The first Lostboy promo CDs have started to circulate. These feature the full standard
album (although most of the tracks have volume fades during the songs as an anti-piracy measure).
The single promo CDs have also been distributed. These feature the two Cenzo Townshend mixes of
Shadowland (an edit and the full single mix) and the album version of
Refugee.
This gig was a cracker.The band was fired and so happy to be playing to such
a receptive audience. It was a Simple Minds crowd, some twenty to thirty
thousand people were there. The show was two hours long.
The performance of Once Upon A Time was received with disbelief. I haven't heard that one for
a long time. People were in bliss at hearing all these songs being played with such vigour.
Just think about this for a moment. The American, a minor hit from 1981
being sung along to like it was the most loved song in all the world, and by a crowd of car racing enthusiasts... or were they?
It was a special show.
Moscow Underground
It's been nearly 29 years since Simple Minds first played Melbourne in
support of their Sons and Fascination/Sister Feeling Call set and
tonight they appear on stage to the familiar rhythm of the classic
instrumental from that era, Theme For Great Cities.
Before we heard singer Jim Kerr's familiar call of "Let me see your hands,"
the band were already into a pounding Sanctify Yourself and
the crowd was jumping. As the rain that had threatened most of the
evening finally started falling halfway through Waterfront, Jim
invited everyone to "come in, come out of the rain" but the audience
were enjoying the driving start too much to care about getting wet.
The wind and rain were unrelenting as Charlie Burchill, the band's
guitarist and band co-founder with Jim, and Eddie Duffy on bass
continued on. In fact Eddie used the elements to up the stakes in
photo opportunities. Channelling Phil Lynott in skin tight black
jeans, legs spread wide and head back as the wind blew his shaggy hair
from his face another rock god pose was completed.
Stars Will Lead The Way was the first offering of the night from 15th
studio album, Graffiti Soul, and was played by a band who have become
used to showcasing songs to what may not necessarily be a partisan
crowd. Judging by the clapping, cheering and many voices joining in
there were plenty of Simple Minds fans in the audience.
After a beautiful rendition of Big Sleep, Love Song's propulsive
bassline jolts the crowd, and perhaps the band, as the show moved up a
gear. With Charlie's guitar and Jim's powerful voice there is a near
state of euphoria as the song climaxes. A compact See The Lights keeps
the energy flowing but nothing has prepared anyone for tonight's
version of Moscow Underground. The moody and driving opener from
Graffiti Soul takes over the venue with its frenetic guitar work and
the rumbling bass. Seasoned fans look at each other in disbelief as
they have been truly blown away. A crowd pleasing Real Life and
rousing Ghostdancing completed a magical 30 minutes, in which Sarah Brown
showed her considerable vocal talents to bolster an already
impressive live sound containing an energised Mel Gaynor on drums and
Andy Gillespie with his many keyboards.
As per the Graffiti Soul Tour of Europe, songs from Sons figured
throughout the set with a radical reworking of Sons And Fascination
and an enjoyable version of The American. Once Upon A Time proved a
success with great vocal participation from the crowd, and one
individual certainly enjoyed One Step Closer more than anyone else
ever had previously! Confirming great pop songs endure Don't You (Forget About Me)
closed the main set, with the "la la la" refrain
ringing out so clearly from the famous opening riff that a smiling
Charlie couldn't contain his joy.
With the rain still hanging around New Gold Dream opened the encore as
a tour de force lifting the crowd to almost religious fervour. A short
2 song medley of Promised You A Miracle, which sounds very dated, and
Glittering Prize led into
Alive and Kicking, with its ba ba da da da
vocal and Jim's arm waving getting the crowd joining in.
We were then asked if we wanted one more. With many calls for various
songs from their extensive back catalogue it was the often maligned
She's A River that the band chose to close the show. With it's
towering guitar motif and Jim letting go with a complete rock vocal
performance it was a dramatic finale to a fantastic, well honed show
that demonstrated with the passing of those 29 years Simple Minds can
still claim to be one of the best live acts in the world today.
Alexander Tate
Kidderminster, UK October 17th, 1980 Support: Music For Pleasure
Tickets cost £1.80.
"I remember that night well although it was nearly 30 years ago. Kidderminster is hardly known as a hot bed
of music, some of the local yobs were at the front and were baiting Charlie for
some reason. After about 25 minutes of the set he had enough, threw down his guitar, jumped off the stage and laid into them
with a volley of punches. The roadies soon sorted it out but that was the end of the gig. Me and mates were some of the few
there that seemed to have any interest in the music anyway, and I remember talking to the soundman after, asking if we
could have a refund as we had travelled 40 miles to be there, didn't get one though!" - Tim
Fire up the Quattro... it's back. And the final series of Ashes To Ashes kicked off in style with Promised You A Miracle featuring on the programme's
soundtrack.
1st april 2010
auckland, auckland review, grand prix set-list, lostboy! event on facebook
It was a good fun concert, in a venue that's actually the local opera house.
Kiwi's were very enthusiastic, average age was about 45-ish. I took my beautiful lady Julie with me and my nephew Dan. Julie only knew a few songs
reasonably well, but she loved it. Dan only knew Don't You (Forget About Me) but he loved it too.
I know Jim's lyrics better than he does himself, he's not as conscientious to them; mind you I
also know quite a lot of yells and notes from many bootlegs...
Charlie had a problem with his Gretch White Falcon guitar when they played Someone Somewhere (In Summertime)
so they stopped after half a minute. Jim made it a bit of a laugh: "It's Charlie's
fault, we have a bit of a technical problem. If you're ok with it, we'll start over again!"
Of course he is still the clownesque semi-prestegious front man who just loves what he does, he reminds me a bit of Jon Anderson. He
loses himself in awe of the spirit of the music, gets confused over his own lyrics, he still kneels and lies on stage. A bit of a character,
but thank God not as bloody serious over the top political dude like Bono. That would have put me off big time.
Jim doesn't take himself that seriously and to me that's a charm.
Simple Minds were my biggest band from the 80's. OK, so Mick isn't there anymore, neither is
Big Dan Yer Man (never saw him live, unfortunately, but did see Mick twice).
But tonight's show reminds me why they are my favorites of the 80's. Just because the fun radiates from stage, Charlie's
big smile, proper decent drumming from the best drummer in the world Mel Gaynor (his breaks are still awesome),
music with balls and good fun.
Ben
Does anyone have the set-list for the Grand Prix gig?
Lostboy! Aka Jim Kerr is the first album from
Simple Minds’ singer and songwriter outside his band,
in over 30 years of their career. Produced by Jez Coad
(behind the desk on the latest two Simple Minds albums) who is also playing guitars
and keyboards, the album features Charlie Jones on bass (five albums with Robert Plant,
two with Page/Plant and three with Goldfrapp) while drums are recognizable from
the first beat: Mel Gaynor, Simple Minds'
drummer since 1983 is behind the drum-kit. Lostboy! Aka is by all means a solo album by
Jim Kerr. The decision to use a new brand like Lostboy!
is to underline the intention of the Scottish singer of developing a parallel career with Lostboy!
together with the one of Simple Minds.
From the electro-alternative of She Fell In Love With Silence
(which echoes Joy Division memories), to the recognizable Simple Minds
sound of the instantly classic Shadowland, pop gems like the title-track
or Bulletproof Heart through leftfield
episodes like Nail Through My Heart or
Return Of The King. Not one filler song. One alternative Pop
masterpiece after another. Without doubt, one of the albums of the year. A record for all
Simple Minds fans, but also an album for all the fans in love with the British sound that made
the world better after the Punk cultural revolution in 1977.
"Somehow I had tuned into the boy that I used to be, the passionate kid that I had left behind, and mysterious
as that all was, there was no denying how thrilled I was to be reconnecting with the energetic outlook and
liberating values at the core of that distantly familiar character."
"Rapidly I then began considering what kind of songs could be created if I could immerse myself "now" in
engaging fully with that young ghost. Lostboy aka! is the result of that curiosity, and I am exhilarated
by it. No mere dance with the past - thanks to the vision of co-writer and producer Jez Coad -
much of these songs feel to me that they could be signals from tomorrow. Its only a first step, but I can easily imagine
taking this new relationship much further in parallel with the continuing great story of Simple Minds." -
(Jim Kerr, March 2010)
The album "Lostboy! Aka Jim Kerr" will be released on May 17, 2010
All nine gigs for the first Lostboy! AKA European tour have been announced. These include gigs in France,
Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and The Netherlands. More details will be announced when tickets go on sale next week.
"AN APOLOGY: Sorry if your town is not included in the tour - will be further dates later on. With Simple Minds also playing this summer
it meant that there was only a short tour possible during last two weeks of May. Bad news? You will definitely miss out
on some real excitement! Good news? With shows already under his belt Lostboy! AKA will be a stronger act by time you get
the chance to see him live. Thanks for understanding." - Jim
18th march 2010
lostboy! london borderline
Lostboy! A.K.A. London tickets will go on sale at 10.00am today, Thursday 18th March.
Sun 23rd May at Borderline, London, UK
Ticket price is £20 and will be available at the link below: CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS - from 10.00am today.
16th march 2010
lostboy! refugee, simple minds tour dates
Refugee [Album Version] is now available as a download. Those registered with the www.lostboyaka.com
website should've received mails telling them how to access the track; whilst those unregistered should register with the site to get the link.
A German festival has been added to Simple Minds'tour dates.
The debut single from Lostboy! AKA Shadowland has now been published on LostBoy! AKA's YouTube Channel. Two mixes
are available: the album mix and the radio mix by Cenzo Townshend. Shadowland also got its radio premiere on Billy Sloan's
show.
TR: Some of us are still Graffiti Soul-searching from last year’s release of awesome material from Simple Minds.
Some of us know it as a double album with the Searching For The Lost Boys collection of covers that Simple Minds
did to make up for some spare time in the studio recording that album last year, and now, Jim Kerr,
the lead singer has taken the lost boy icon and made it into an iconography of its own and it’s become his own thing and it’s become
his solo work. And I wanted to touch base with him on this and we might be able to play a track or two. Here’s Jim.
JK:Todd you put that across so well. Can I use that? I’m just going to use that blurb you said there
from now on as its so succinct and it sums up exactly what we’re about to talk about.
TR: Let me just make this perfectly clear because people, including myself, kind of had a shiver: what does this mean? Simple Minds
are on such a high right now: [so] why now? Why a solo album? Is there something wrong? What’s going on? You’ve pretty much put that to rest
that this is just an outlet for all this wonderful work that’s coming through you.
JK: I can completely understand that shiver and, let’s be honest, if we looked into the past, when you have people who are
in a band, or have spent time in a band, when they step out to do something [solo] then often it’s because they’re bored or they’re
frustrated or it’s time for a hiatus but that couldn’t be further from the truth currently within the ranks of Simple Minds.
Because the last three or four years, it’s really been going great again between the quality of the albums and the live tours – we’re doing,
arguably, some of the best work we’ve ever done – so there’s no sense of frustration with me there and certainly, in the past, it never dawned
on me or had the desire to step out.
JK: But I guess in the last couple of years a few things happened at the same time. Two years ago we did a tour to commemorate
our thirtieth anniversary. And I think something about that did impact on me more than I’d thought at the time. Basically to have a thirty
year career is blessed; I love the band and I love the people I work with. But something crept in: is there only one act in life? Is there only
one story to life? And that question seemed to resonate louder and louder. At the same time, my daily work was getting much more prolific
and there was this volume of work which was starting to appear: some of which felt that it could work with Simple Minds, and a lot
of it felt like it was coming from a different place. So the idea started to arise: what am I going to do here?
JK: The idea of doing a Jim Kerr solo album was mundane to me. It just didn’t get me excited. The idea of
starting another band – well, I’m in a great band so I don’t want to start a band. That didn’t get me excited. But as I was working through,
and listening hard, to the stuff that I was doing, then there was a spark that really took me back. There was a great recollection back to
the kid I was when I was eighteen to twenty-three: there was something about the attitude of the music, something about the language of the words,
it almost felt like I was reconnecting with that young spirit, that young ghost (as I’ve been calling it). And I just thought, if I hadn’t gone off
on the Simple Minds journey, I wondered what was in his head then. And I started getting this idea of Lostboy
and writing from this alter-ego or connecting with a younger alter-ego. And as I started thinking about that, I started getting really
excited also about, not only the idea of doing it, but the idea of starting from the very beginning. Because Simple Minds,
or any band lucky enough to have a story as we have, no matter what you do - and I think we’ve been good at writing new chapters recently- you’re
always going to have to refer to your past. And that’s cool but... it’s really cool starting something with a blank page.
JK: So for all of those reasons, and I guess the final reason is obviously the way the music industry works has changed, almost
been obliterated: some bad things about that, some good things about that. And the contracts you used to be on where you’d be locked up and tied – I
wouldn’t be able to do this thing years ago because we’d be obliged to stick to the one thing. There’s been guys doing it for a long time: look at
the fellow in White Stripes, he’s got about four bands; Damon Albarn’s got about six projects and last night I was
listening to Black Francis and he’s got his own thing going and The Pixies going ... I think if you’ve got the energy,
the imagination and the desire to do it, you can do all of these things and still feed the main body which is Simple Minds, and I
hope all of that is going to pass.
TR: You’ve explained it very well and put all my worries to rest. I am very excited about this project and thinking back to some
of the little hints you put up on your blog, and your journals on simpleminds.com, and more so recently on Facebook, these little dabbles
of who you’re writing with. It did seem a little different with this going on and then the announcement came with this very bare webpage
that stated "it’s coming." So what are we looking at for the release schedule and ... Simple Minds are touring this summer, what about
Lostboy touring?
JK: The album is now finished and recorded and mixed. The album is called Lostboy and the artist is called
Lostboy AKA Jim Kerr (a bit of a mouthful but that’s what it is). It’s coming May 16th. There’s four different formats of the
album: the basic format is twelve tracks and the other formats go to fifteen, sixteen tracks. There’s a lot of stuff there. And Lostboy
does his first live dates to coincide with the album release beginning on the 21st May in Aberdeen and working our way down to London; and there’s a
handful of European dates. They’re tiny clubs so they’re like showcase [gigs]; but we’re taking a full band and all that.
TR: So this is just the "dabble" so to speak and maybe some more later?
JK: Even the people who work around us, agents and management, can’t really grasp it until they hear it and see it. And then I’m
convinced that once I’ve done that, everyone will say "Oh, OK, we know how to do this then and this is what we’re going to do." But in the summer we
have a lot of live work with Simple Minds and I hope by September, October and November I’ll be able to take Lostboy
[on the road] much more extensively – even to your neck of the woods...
TR: No!
JK: I know I say that every time I talk to you!
TR: You notice I never even brought it up. [Laughs]
JK: Well, as long as you haven’t given up. This Lostboy isn’t going to be a spoiled brat, he’s going to have to
go out there and earn his stripes.
TR: Fair enough. We look forward to it. We’ll take some time now to listen to this first track. This is called Refugee – you
want to explain where this one came from Jim?
JK: I’m happy you’re playing this one first. The album itself is pretty expansive in styles but there’s an energy there
that goes right through the album and I think Refugee is the prototype in terms of the energy. And it was the first track that was written,
probably about three years ago, but never had an arrangement. Jez Coad, who’s worked on the last two
Simple Minds albums in the producer role, also worked on this but he played a lot of the music on this as well and it’s a real
supercharged song. Lyrically it’s a call out to arguably a lost generation not to give up.
Audio: Refugee [Album Version]
TR: I’m guessing that was the US premiere of Refugee.
JK: Yes, absolutely.
TR: This record is on your record label, is it not?
JK: There’s a major independent in the whole of Europe and they’re called Edel, a German based company. And there’s
a fellow there called Max Vaccaro who worked with Simple Minds in Italy through the years and he knows his stuff.
When I had a lot of demos done I thought I’d play them to two or three people I trust. Within half an hour Max came back and said
"I want to do this." So that was great from his point of view but once the lawyers and all that start to talk [laughs] everything grinds to a halt
and goes at snail’s pace. So I thought "I’m going to do this anyway." So I ended up doing it, getting it together and paying for it, and by the end
they were still arguing about the deal and I nearly had the thing wrapped up.
JK: So, in a sense, I produced it, I paid for it and I thought I quite like this way. And I thought being independent is great
so I’m going to get my own little brand, or label, and it’s called Tartan Noir Music; the French as I had a little nephew born in
France last year and it’s a nod to him.
JK: So, it’s on my label but it’s been licensed to Edel who are now licensing it to everywhere else.
TR: Fair enough. So we’ll look forward to it in the States and online as well.
JK: Yes, that as well.
TR: Well, we look forward to it, we look forward to the live dates, we look forward to more Simple Minds material
and I’m sure more Lostboy activity. I did hear a rumour that the next Simple Minds record is a double album. Is that true?
JK: We think that’s doable. Now when I say doable it means we have twenty-two songs; what I mean is we have twenty-two great songs.
That’s what we’re trying to do here. Why would we want to do this? It’s all just coming together and it’s calling out for us to go on one of
those adventures. You know Simple Minds did that kind of thing in their early days and, again being independent, we can do things our
way completely. And I could envisage one disc following on from the Graffiti Soul type thing that we all loved and we think there’s still
mileage in and maybe the other disc being a lot more open-ended and not quite as structured but heavy in mood and ambience and, again, all of the things
Simple Minds did in their early days.
TR: We wish you all the best with it as always. It’s been over a decade since we’ve been talking, on and off, with Some Sweet Day
and what an amazing adventure it has been and continues to be. And we wish you all the best with this new project and onwards with Simple Minds
and Lostboy and all the other endeavours as well – it’s always a pleasure sir.
JK: I appreciate the support always and should say hello to the fans we have over your side of the pond.
TR: Do you have any Simple Minds requests?
JK: Put in Life In A Day. We played that and it sounded great.
8th march 2010 / 9th march 2010
lostboy! ticket info, lostboy! interview, lostboy! formats
Lostboy! A.K.A. tickets will go on sale at MIDDAY (12 noon) tomorrow, Tuesday 9th March.
Fri 21st May at Warehouse, Aberdeen, UK
Sat 22nd May at Kings Tuts, Glasgow, UK
Ticket price is £20 available from both venues.
Additional box office details are as follows:
Tel: =44 [0]8444 999 990 or www.gigsinscotland.com
The London Borderline show is also confirmed for the 23rd May. Keeping checking
the venue's website for ticket information.
Todd Richards will be interviewing Lostboy! AKA on his Wedneday morning drive-time show
(06-09 AM EST) on 88.3FM The Sting and wbwc.com. (See the website for
streaming options).
The album Lostboy will be releaed in three formats including a deluxe version.
The first Lostboy! AKA single Shadowlands will be released in May, followed by Lostboy
(the album) on May 16th. They will be released on TARTAN NOIR MUSIQUE (which is Jim's label)
and licensed to German record company Edel. A small club tour of venues in the UK and Europe will then follow.
Simple Minds singer Jim Kerr
reveals first solo album
Rock superstar Jim Kerr of Simple Minds has turned the clock back 30 years to launch his first ever solo album.
The singer has invented an alter ego called Lostboy! AKA to perform songs which recreate the fire and passion he felt as an aspiring teenage musician.
"The character of Lostboy! AKA is not that dissimilar to who I was from the ages of 17 to 23 years old," revealed Jim.
"Until now, I never felt the need to make a solo record. I had more than enough to do with Simple Minds. But in the last
few years I've written more than I ever did and some of the songs didn't feel like I was in Simple Minds mode.
"The music business has changed. Lots of artists have got two or three different projects going - so why not me?" On May 16,
Jim will unveil his new album, which features the single Shadowlands,
before intimate club gigs at Aberdeen Warehouse on May 21 and King Tut's the following night.
Returning to the legendary Glasgow venue will bring back memories.
He said: "Everybody rightly talks about the history of King Tut's but few people ever mention it had been a great venue called
Saints And Sinners years before and an important part of the Glasgow music scene.
"My first band Johnny and the Self Abusers
played our second gig there. It was a real big deal for me - and we had other great nights there.
"In 2005, Simple Minds made their King Tut's debut.
"So I look on Tut's as an Abusers' gig. I think the show will be weirder for the audience than it will be for me.
"This music is built to be played live. I'm convinced it will sound great."
Simple Minds celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2009 with stunning album
Graffiti Soul and a sell-out arena tour. But Jim
is reassuring fans Lostboy! AKA won't mean the end of them.
His new project is his first without lifelong friend and guitarist Charlie Burchill by his side.
Jim revealed: "Charlie is a best mate and it's
normal you chat a lot about what you are doing. He knew I'd been writing but we never discussed it beyond me reassuring him I
would not let things get in the way of Simple Minds.
"There were times I wanted to call Charlie and get his input but that's inevitable,
as we are so intrinsically linked in most of what we do.
"I believe Lostboy! AKA has been invigorating for me and some of that new excitement has
already been channelled into Simple Minds."
When he hits the road, Jim won't play any of Minds' classics but that
doesn't mean the singer will be totally snubbing his back catalogue.
He said: "I plan to play some very rare Simple Minds tracks the band would not normally include in our set from our 1979 debut album,
Life In A Day.
"Musically, I think they slot in perfectly with the direction Lostboy! AKA is going in."
Jim will guest on my Clyde 1 radio show on 102.5FM tonight at 7pm playing exlusive tracks from
Lostboy! AKA.
The first tour dates for Lostboy! AKA have started to appear. Jim will be touring a handful of
small clubs in Europe during May. A more extensive tour will take place later in the year.
The Warehouse, Aberdeen, UK 21st May, 2010
Tickets are available from www.gigsinscotland.com on the 9th March at 9AM.
King Tuts, Glasgow, UK 22nd May, 2010
Tickets are available from www.gigsinscotland.com on the 9th March at 9AM.
Borderline, London, UK 23rd May, 2010
The brief sample on the Lostboy! AKA website, the start of Refugee, was used as backing music for the Scotland football game
on Sky Sports on the 4th March. "Unbelievable. Just been told that Sky Sports used the music of
Lostboy! AKA during last night's live broadcast of the Scotland game.
Apparently they used the intro to "Refugee" - the same snippet that can currently be heard on the Lostboy! homepage. Hard to believe
indeed, equally hard to believe is that the team won their first friendly at home in 14 years. (Ouch!) The omens are good all round" - Jim.
Billy Sloan Interview
BS: Who is Lostboy? JK: This is the short version, and I’ll come into the studio in a couple of weeks time and tell you the long version. JK:Simple Minds have been recording their best material and performing at their best live for a long
time now. I should be exhausted. But I’m now more creative than I’ve ever been; there’s more music, more lyric ideas, and I
wanted a project that I could start again. (Simple Minds, U2 and The Rolling Stones
have to refer to the past even though they write new chapters, but I wanted to develop something new). JK: I didn't want to do just a Jim Kerr solo album (boring!) or form an alternative band
(as I’m already in a great one!) But the spirit in the new music was of things I listened to when I was 18 - 23; I could feel
the young ghost coming back; I was connecting back to the lost boy.
BS: Who were you listening to when you were 18-23? JK:Roxy Music and David Bowie. The first Ultravox album, the first
Cars album, Robert Fripp, Talking Heads and Eno. I walking around
Glasgow with a head full of that.
BS: You didn't want to make a Jim Kerr solo album, but this will be perceived as
one. Are these songs not suitable for Simple Minds? JK: Half of them were. But the music of Simple Minds primarily comes from Charlie Burchill - and
we've been working together recently – but this project won't be to the detriment of Simple Minds. The next
Simple Minds album will be a double album and that's moving ahead. JK: Half my ideas sounded of their own culture, their own place in time. But people will say it's just a
Jim Kerr thing - remember it took Simple Minds three records to find their own direction
and it will be the same with Lostboy! AKA.
BS: This [following exclusive track] is the first track on the Lostboy album.
JK: There are twelve songs on the album, there's lots of different stuff going on, but this song is the prototype. This is
Refugee and its got the energy and vibrancy which gives a great first impression and I hope it makes people want to hear more.
[Audio: Refugee: Album mix]
BS: Do you still get excited hearing your songs on radio for the first time? JK: I’m not a drinker but I’ve got a glass of champagne at the moment. It feels like the birth of something new. Yes.
When we started Simple Minds, there were a couple of things we wanted to achieve: and one was to get played on radio. There was
real excitement when that happened.
BS: The Lostboy! AKA tour is a club tour which kicks off on the 21st May at King Tuts in Glasgow. King Tuts
was the second place you played in public. JK: It was Johnny And The Self Abusers second gig. We could never forget that. To me, it'll always be
Saints and Sinners [the original name of the venue] which was the title of the Johnny And The Self Abusers
single. But really looking forward to the gigs. And I don't want Lostboy to be a spoilt brat - he's got to earn his stripes.
BS: What was the Saints And Sinners gig like? JK: Most bands spend their first year playing gigs to two men and a dog. But after a riotous performance by The Stranglers,
Glasgow City Council banned visiting punk bands. We got around this technicality because we weren’t visiting! So people were starved of punk,
heard about the gig, and started queuing around the block to get tickets.
BS:Lostboy isn't about playing Simple Minds classics. But there will be some Simple Minds
songs played at the gigs. What's it going to be like on stage without Charlie Burchill. JK: It will be strange and it was strange doing the album and there were times I wanted to call him. But I had to do it my own way,
similarly when doing it live. We're in the process of putting together a great live set up. It's going to be fantastic. BS: This has Charlie's blessing? JK: I'm still alive as we speak! BS: You’re thinking of playing Someone from Life In A Day. JK: I think I'm obliged [to play some Simple Minds]. There's been great support from the Simple Minds
hardcore - and I recognise that and I’ll play a couple of songs. I won't play the well known ones - what would be the point? So we’ll be playing
song’s that have never been played live before.
[Audio: Someone]
BS: So you’re going back to basics, and back to King Tuts. JK: You know how much I enjoy playing live. Simple Minds are playing gigs in Australia [in March] - but we're
also getting ready for Lostboy live. BS: Will it be a big band? JK: Part of me wants to strip it down, and the other part wants to get on a limb and try new things out. But like
Simple Minds the music will translate live – if I do stripped down versions, then I can build it up as the year goes on.
BS: The Lostboy album is released on the 16th May. And the remixes are already happening. JK: I'm enjoying this contemporary process. The remix is by Simon Hayward; he’s very talented, a huge fan, and probably
knows more about Simple Minds than me. But a few months ago he got in touch with an idea. He sent it to me and it was an
idea that I got around to working on - perhaps it'll be on the follow up. Now the official recordings done, we're getting some remixes;
Empires and Dance/Sons And Fascination style, and
Simon earned a go and we're very happy with the results.
BS: So you’re ready to go with the gigs and King Tuts. JK: I will be ready. From September to the end of the year, I want to take Lostboy! AKA around the world.
Plus Simple Minds have dates around Europe - we just continue on with festivals etc. as we’re often asked back. Every night
is just a blast with that great catalogue of songs to choose.
Billy Sloan will be exclusively playing a track from LostBoy! AKA on his show this Sunday evening. Jim
will also be briefly interviewed during the show.
Simple Minds' tour dates for this year have started to appear. The Festival Show Tour
so far sees the band playing some European Festivals during the summer; but it looks like they might lengthen their visit to "down under" (for the opening
of the Grand Prix at Melbourne) with some extra dates.
This isn't the whole story as Jim will also be on the road promoting Lostboy! AKA with a
series of club gigs across Europe. There's nothing definite yet, but the tour would tie-in with his debut album release in May.
17th february 2010
new releases, discography updates
I've temporarily stopped updating the new album page. This isn't
because there's nothing new to say: it’s exactly the opposite! Because there's so much information now emerging from Twitter,
Facebook and other sources, it's become impossible to separate LOSTBOY! AKA material for songs intended for
Simple Minds.
We know that Stage Fright, Concrete and Cherry Blossom, Human Trafficking, Ulysses
and Fire Fighter are all new Simple Minds titles. And there's Six Degrees of Separation,
Lotus Effect and Shaman left over from the Graffiti Soul era.
But where does that leave Spirit Catcher, Photograph, Made From Rock and Rain,
Remember Asia, Mr. Silversmith, Night is The New Day, Fast Trains,
Only the Brave Survive on Chicken Street and Return of the King?
All will become clear over the next few months, but until then I'm just quietly collating everything that's
emerging and will publish once it’s all clearer.
The Graffiti Soul discography continues to grow with new promos appearing almost every month. The number of collectable
promos of the album has grown yet again.
And here's the full story behind the "mirrored" version of the Love Song video.
8th february 2010
collectors editions, australian gigs, lovelock
According to the Herald Sun, Simple Minds will be playing
The Melbourne Grand Prix on March 28th.
Such announcements should usually be greeted with a certain amount of suspicision until confirmed on the official site but as Mel Gaynor
let the cat out of the bag with his recent Facebook update,
then I think this one is legit. (Unlike that dodgy Russian non-event announced last month).
About 10 songs in, they dusted off the angular Sons And Fascination, and the funk of
In Trance As Mission, their glorious past still sounding like music of the future.
The New Gold Dreamers website has now gone live. The website includes
information about Derek and Brian, news, future
gigs (including several "down south" in May), promo pictures and links to their Facebook, blogs and Myspace.
I had the fortune and privilege to see Simple Minds four times on the current tour, totally fantastic.
I saw them in Birmingham, Manchester, London and then my at home in Aberdeen. The whole setup was absolutely
out of this world. From the tracks during the breaks (The Cure, Cocteau Twins,
Annie Lennox to Cornershop's Brimful of Asha,
not sure if they were from Jim's ipod, they are on mine anyway!!!)
to OMD and then the main act..........the awesome performances of the Minds.
The concerts were totally out of this world. It blew my mind being able to pick up the gigs after on a memory
stick as well, totally amazing. I hope they keep the team up with Concert-Online
these guys did a fantastic job. It was made easier for them with out of this world musical ability
but brilliant none the less.
OMD were fantastic and it was something very special to see Andy and
Paul on stage for the duet on Neon Lights.
A great acknowledgement of their friendship and what Kraftwerk has meant to both bands.
That was incredible. When I first saw this in Birmingham I couldn't believe it and in Aberdeen
the guys seem to be dragging Andy and Paul on stage like they had kidnapped them!
They were having a right laugh, clearly at real ease with each other and totally enjoying the moment.
All the sets were blistering. The concert intro seems to be a mix from Belfast Child,
then the gigs opened with the pounding beat of Theme for Great Cities
then elegantly blending into the amazing Sanctify yourself.
The sheer breadth and depth of the catalog they played was fantastic. Each set was powerful, totally amazing,
unique, energetic and spellbinding.
It was great to see the new songs in the set like Moscow Underground and
Stars Will Lead the Way and then powering Rockets
into an encore. The new songs easily and naturally sit with the classics from the back catalog. Totally brilliant that
Somebody Up there Likes You has stayed in the set from the
30 Years Tour when they played the Whole of
New Gold Dream cover to cover, wild!! Totally fantastic that
Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call
is featured for this tour, when I read the early tour reviews I knew this one was going to be incredible. Those songs
as timeless, I remember picking up Sister Feelings Call
in Germany, an incredible double album half with Sons and Fascination.
The new re-work with guitar on In Trance As Mission and the synthesiser on
Sons and Fascination makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as
it curls into the arena. Jim said on the video that
Andy was captain of the crew for song choices, well done that man!
In Aberdeen we had Life in a Day after Waterfront.
What a superb version, magic to see it in the set from their first album, brilliant song, a classic, it could have been written
with Moscow Underground and Blood Type O, wild!!
Then in the encore at Manchester and Aberdeen we had Chelsea Girl with
Sarah on vocals as well, totally fantastic. She reminded me of
Robin Clark during the Once Upon A Time Tour,
Sarah was totally amazing.
They have dropped Light My Fire that they used to layer into
Ghost Dancing in previous tours. Well they did set the fire alarm off in the
Aberdeen Music Hall on The Floating World Tour so maybe not a surprise !!! (ha, ha)
Can't wait to see them next time, Graffiti Soul
is a classic, Dream in the Dream with me!!!! Thank you for the good times!
Insurance company More Than are currently using Alive And Kicking as backing
music for one of their advertisements in the UK. "Now... play that soft rock..."
Just when you think you've got the discography sorted out, something else turns up!
This previously undiscovered Homosapien CDR from Eagle features three
unreleased remixes of the title track. The first two are slightly longer versions of the Malcolm Duffy remix; the other
two are radical reworkings by Vince Clarke.
However, Mix 2 should be familar to everyone as this instrumental remix was retitled The Floating World
and it closes the Cry album. Therefore, the unreleased Mix 1 sounds like
The Floating World albeit with lyrics from Homosapien.
Back to more recent releases, the Limited Edition "Pure" Edition of Graffiti Soul has now been added to
the discography.
French band Orwell have just released a free EP of "obscure or underrated titles from between 1980 and 1984" which includes
their cover of Speed Your Love To Me.
"To usher in this new decade, and also to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of 1980,
Orwell is offering free downloads of the EP 80's are 30. Five cover versions of
obscure or underrated titles from between 1980 and 1984. On the menu: The Psychedelic Furs, Freur,
Simple Minds, Ultravox and New Musik.
The EP is available free on
www.orwellmusic.com. You can also make a donation to Orwell
to help us produce our next album.
2010 is the thirtieth anniversary of the year 1980, which opened a decade regarded
by some as one of the worst in terms of musical creativity. Some artists and some songs have stood the test of
time and bad reputation. Others have fallen more or less into oblivion. The singer Hugo
and myself have decided to resurrect some of the songs in this second category, and rework them to create versions
that are free of their 80’s specific styling. So we have some friends from 30 years ago dressed up to go out again
but in a more simple manner.
" - Jérôme Didelot
10th january 2010
possible russian gigs, derek interview, new gold dreamers, classic rock, discography updates, death cab for cutie
A Russian website are offering tickets for two Russian gigs on the 18th and 19th February. For more information, see
www.concert.ru.
These gigs haven't been confirmed by the official site so caution is advised. I'm mentioning these now so Russian fans can check
the official site more regularly for any official announcement.
Derek Forbes has been voted Scotland's Greatest Ever Bassist. An interview
with him as been published on the Dear Scotland website
(which also includes many archive clips of Simple Minds).
Derek and
Brian McGee have renamed their band New Gold Dreamers and have launched
a holding page for their forthcoming website.
Here's another from the archive which escaped publication last year. Classic Rock, July issue:
I've also been catching up with the recent discography and have added the two recent free downloads:
Welcome Gift Pack (the five MP3s offered at the start of the tour)
and Concert Online's Free Gift.
Death Cab for Cutie is performing at the
15th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, airing live on
VH1 on January 15th at 9pm (EST/PST). The band will be performing a cover of the
Simple Minds' song, Don't You (Forget About Me)
from The Breakfast Club during a tribute to filmmaker John Hughes.
6th january 2010
LOSTBOY! AKA JIM KERR, forbes/mcgee (ex simple minds), rare live track, the herald, remixes
Blame Billy Sloan for the slight confusion surrounding Jim's
solo project. LOSTBOY! AKA JIM KERR is an album of original compositions; there's one cover but the lyrics have been changed.
The album has largely been recorded. Jez is adding backing vocals and percussion this month; and the
arrangements are being finalised. Mixing will start at the end of January.
Derek Forbes and
Brian McGee teamed up to play a gig at the Classic Grand in Glasgow on the
28th December. The intention was to recreate the first Simple Minds live experience from 1978 and play tracks from
the first years of the band... and they definitely succeeded.
The Forbes And McGee gig at the Classic Grand on the 28th December 2009 was truly breathtaking. A small club,
the stage was set with minimal lighting, the backdrop initially was of a large perspex head with a blue light shot through it,
a blue emergency light to the right of the stage and the same head to the left. The intro was an exhilerating tape of
jumbled noises - a ticking clock, a train pulling into a station, some chimes and interweaved into it - Cacophony.
Band walked onto the stage and had backs to the audience while tape played out then they burst into
Act of Love which sounded alive with energy, they didn't skip a beat and
this was the measure for the entire gig. Chelsea Girl and
Life In A Day were delivered at blistering pace and I don't know
what to say about I Travel except I haven't had the bass hit me in the chest
like that since, well, the last time I heard Derek play it.
The American almost had me on my knees as
Forbes played the "Bonanza" intro from 1984 and bloody good it sounded too.
I didn't think I would ever hear Pleasantly Disturbed
played live, this is one of my all-time favourite songs by anybody never mind
Simple Minds and I wasn't disappointed, absolutely loved it and tried hard to swallow
back the lump in my throat.
Some of us were surprised that they chose to do
Don't You (Forget About Me) and
Alive and Kicking but I guess they know these are
crowd pleasers but to be honest I could have done without them and I don't think I was alone. They finished
off with Theme For Great Cities and I have to say that
the guitarist did a sterling job, in fact he played it the way Charlie
used to.
It was wonderful to see Brian and
Derek playing together, by the time I got to see
Simple Minds for the first time Brian
had moved on but now I know that I am right in my opinion that he is the best drummer the band ever had.
It was truly an unforgettable night and both guys stayed until throwing out time at 3.00hrs
and happily chatted with anybody, had pictures taken and signed endless memorabilia.
Whilst on the subject of early Simple Minds, a bootleg recording of one of their rarest cover versions has
just surfaced.
The band's performance at The Paradiso, Amsterdam on the 23rd March 1980 was one of the band's earliest bootlegs (with most of
the gig appearing on dodgy LP and CDs: see The Best Years Of Our Lives as an
example). However, thanks to the limitation of vinyl space, some tracks were culled from the track listing.
The whole concert has only recently turned up. And here's one of the Minds' earliest and rarest covers from those
early years: Iggy Pop'sSister Midnight (and if you listen, you can just
hear the start of the segue into Room at the end):
I'm currently going through my archives and publishing some odds-and-ends which got lost last year. The first is an
interview with Jim published in The Herald from the 23rd May in 2009.
Click on the thumbnails for larger scans:
And the first remixes of the new decade from JohnnyBGood:
Somehow I turned into the boy I used to be, the passionate kid that I left behind, and mysterious as that all
was, there was no denying how thrilled I was to be reconnecting with the energetic outlook and liberating values
at the core of that distantly familar character. Rapidly I then began considering what kind of songs could be
created if I immerse myself "now" in engaging fully with that young ghost.
LOSTBOY! AKA is the result of that curiosity, and I am exhilarated by it.
No mere dance with the past - thanks to the vision of co-writer and producer Jez Coad -
much of these songs feel to me that they could be signals from tomorrow.
It's only a first step, but I can easily imagine taking this new relationship much further in parallel with the
continuing great story of Simple Minds.
Jim and Jez Coad
are currently mixing the first LOSTBOY! AKA record in London which is expected around May 2010.
This is Jim's first album project outside
of Simple Minds but is intended to run parallel with Simple Minds' activities this
coming year.
A holding page, www.lostboyaka, is now online and features a sneak peek at some
artwork and a small taster stream of music. You can enter your e-mail to be notified when the new site goes live.
There will be an announcement on the official site in the next couple
of days.
31st december 2009
new year, rage, discography updates, lostboy! aka
I was going to write something long and insightful about Simple Minds over the last decade. But I was too
busy to compose something... which I think succinctly sums up the previous ten years following the band.
It's never really stopped, so roll on the next decade!
I'm definitely up for it.
For those in Australia... on Saturday, ABC's show Rage are plundering their archive and playing many
old and not-so-old videos on their Countdown segment.
So, if you're still up in the early hours, then you'll see the following:
Chelsea Girl
Sweat In Bullet
Don't You (Forget About Me)
She's A River
Mandela Day
Cry
Rockets
See ABC's website for the red-eye times. (It kicks off at 3:00AM so you'll
have to be dedicated!)
Swiss artist Gertrud Stein has covered 
The debut album from Lostboy! AKA is due for release in the USA on the 11th February 2011. It's expected that the album will
include new material only recently recorded.
Simple Minds will be playing the Festhalle in Bern, Switzerland on the
12th December. Tickets can be purchased from
Ex Simple Minds are releasing 
I've created a page for the 
In an alternative reality, Simple Minds albums were 
Updates to the discography include:
More from German brewer Krombacher who have used 
And the single, 
Just when you think you've got the Absolutely discography sorted out, more remixes turn up. Two new
remixes of 
And the different 
The single will be available as a download on the 15th August. Four track promo CDs are already circulating.
Full details about Simple Minds' new album can be found
And full details about Lostboy! AKA's new album can be found
Updates to the discography:
Speaking of downloads, a 
Ex Simple Minds site has now moved to 
The first 
And the first 
Refugee [Album Version] is now available as a download. Those registered with the 
Todd Richards will be interviewing Lostboy! AKA on his Wedneday morning drive-time show
(06-09 AM EST) on 88.3FM The Sting and 
Various updates to the discography:
The Graffiti Soul discography continues to grow with new promos appearing almost every month. The number of collectable
promos of the album 
The 
Just when you think you've got the discography sorted out, something else turns up!
I've also been catching up with the recent discography and have added the two recent free downloads:
