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simple minds 1978
"My assistant [Brian Hogg] hadn't lied, it was the best band I'd ever seen. The Mars Bar
is a small club but Jim Kerr projected as if he was on stage at the Apollo."
- Bruce Findlay.
The embryonic Simple Minds quickly became the resident band at Glasgow's Mars Bar (it
was the only pub fearless enough to book reformed punks). They played every Sunday night.
Even though they were a pub band, they had their own sound engineer (David Henderson) and lights (Jaine Henderson). The band would come on with their backs to the audience, to a tape of weird
sounds put together by David Henderson, with a revolving police light in a perspex head casting a
blue beam around the cramped environment.
They were writing new songs every week, with tracks appearing and disappearing throughout the year. Some of the songs played never made
it to official release, only existing on scratchy bootlegs.
By the end of the year, they were under the watchful eye of
Bruce Findlay, had signed with Zoom Records, were a support band in demand (having supported
The Only Ones, Ultravox, Generation X and The Strangers) and were ready to cut their debut album.
[Given that the band had residency at the Mars Bar every Sunday night, then I've taken the liberty to add those to the tour - these are
marked '*'. This tallys well
with Ian Cranna's short review (although he suggested April 17th which was a Monday - unlikely) and matches perfectly with the
bootleg of the 30th June. Additionally, the Pollocks Hall gig in December was their 48th gig, which works out quite close once these Mars Bar
dates are added.]
Other missing gigs include nights at Cinders and Zhivagos (two Glasgow discos).
"I was the manager of the Mars Bar in the 1978 period and I was the one that started
putting on live bands in the the bar. We had to change the name of the bar to Countdown because
the Mars company threatened to shut us down!"
"I can remember lots of gigs by lots of different bands but the Minds gigs always stand out as the best...
The Zones, The Cuban Heels, Modern Man and The Venigmas also
were pretty good during that period and of course the Berlin Blondes."
"The Mars Bar was always packed out and
Billy Sloan, a young slim music reporter from Clyde Guide used to beg me
to let him in early!" - Harry Conaghan
"When we started Simple Minds, we had a Sunday night residency in the Mars Bar. Sadly, that building,
which used to be in St Enoch's Square in Glasgow, has now gone. We used to play in the back room. It was like a
living room in the sense that there wasn’t really a stage. There was a couple of couches and the full band used to play
round the back of a couch. Those gigs were really important to us because every week we would write a new song,
like Chelsea Girl or
Life In A Day, and we would try it out. The room was full of our pals,
but when the A&R men (record label talent scouts) came up to see us, everybody knew the songs so as far as they
were concerned it was a set full of hits." - Jim, 3rd November 2014
Cripes, a freebie newsletter which could be picked up at Bruces
record shops, was vital for details of forthcoming gigs, and all important reviews and comment of
previous shows.
These "Red Eye" posters would've been posted up to advertise early gigs. The gap at the bottom was
for venue information and concert dates.
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Satellite City, Glasgow, UK
17th January 1978
Supporting: Steel Pulse
With: Rev Volting And The Backstabbers (later became Fun 4) and The Nu Sonics (later became Orange Juice)
Main Set: Act Of Love / ...
...
White Light-White Heat ... / ...
Wasteland ... / ...
Pleasantly Disturbed
Tickets cost £1.50. Jim appeared with a basin bowl hair cut and sombre priest's frock coat. It was
'officially' the band's first gig. They were third on the bill: Steel Pulse, Rev Volting And The Backstabbers, Simple Minds and
Nu Sonics
JK: ... [After] Johnny And The Self Abusers, the summer was over. And it was time to get real.
And we found ourselves rehearsing in this dilapidated factory in the Gorbals where the guy very kindly let us use the attic to make as much noise - more
importantly it was free. And I remember we'd only been in about two weeks. And, by this time, it's possibly the start of December. And
David comes in and say "I've got a gig for you. I've got a gig. It's Satellite City on the 17th January" - which
was just over a month away. If David hadn't done that, I think there's a lot of people, sometimes they start off, and
giving up on doing it for the first time, which is so important. And in our case, to be up there - I remember how much it meant to us. I mean, did I
think we were ready? Probably not. But with songs like Pleasantly Disturbed which I still think, arguably,
is still one of Simple Minds' greatest songs, and Act Of Love was our opener. It was always important
to have ... your first song was really, really important and Act of Love was the first song of the set - because
when people don't know your stuff.
JK: I remember walking on that night. We walked on to the sound of our own footsteps. But Charlie hit
that riff. And I could feel the energy in me straight away. And before I knew it, we were off. And although I say we weren't ready, I think we already
had something about us. We had a look - all those years going to watch great bands... When I say going to watch great bands people say 'What is a
great band? What makes a great band?' You well know, that after three years of going to The Apollo, you could tell the difference between a good live
band and a great live band. And if you were a front person, you have to have something a wee bit different from you - I mean years of watching
Alex Harvey and Steve Harley and Bryan Ferry and all of that. You had to have an attitude and you had to have a sound. I think we
already had that, under our belt from our first gig. And fortunately, people responded to it.
Billy Sloan Show
BBC Radio Scotland
22nd January 2022
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"On the dance floor the standard disco clientele dance to standard disco records. On tables down the sides hippies
(here for the reggae presumably) stick Rizla together. Reeking of new leather, punks patrol the perimeters, trying to look as subterranean
as possible. Orange Juice still play a song about the event." - Glen Gibson
"It might be blue skies and sunshine where I am today, but it was a freezing cold
day around mid-January when we turned up to play our first ever gig in Satellite City, Glasgow.
A lowly third act on the bill, we walked on to silence, but walked off to mayhem.
Pleasantly Disturbed, just written the weekend
before was the last song song of the set. It sounded special! 38 years later it still does." - Jim, 13th January 2015
"Not to make too much of a fuss... quite yet. Nevertheless it was a mind boggling 39 years ago this very week that
Simple Mind crept onto a pitch black stage in Satellite City, Glasgow, to play our first ever gig. On January 17th to be precise.
And it is genuinely hard for me to believe that that is so. After all, stop to consider how long that actually is? Probably the best way to do that, is
to consider how monumental the world has changed within the last four decades? Likewise dwell a little on some of the earth shattering events - both good
and bad - that have taken place within that time frame? On top of that, maybe think about your own life, and how things have come and gone as the years
rolled past. The highs and lows, joys and sadness. How we have all grown from kids, adolescents, adults and er, middle age and beyond. Jesus!
Either way, having done that. I am sure you will agree that 39 years is a heck of a long time. A lifetime ago in some cases."
"But there you have it. 39 years ago both Charlie and I, along with drummer
Brian McGee, bassist Tony Donald and guitarist
Duncan Barnwell, rolled up outside The Glasgow Apollo and began lifting our sparse equipment up what
seemed endless flights of stairs, to the dusty ballroom that sat atop the then infamous Glasgow venue.
Davie and
Jaine Henderson, doing sound and lights respectively, were also there. Giving us help and encouragement in
a way that no one did back then. But we were a gang, and our band could never have achieved anything without "the gang." That was evident even back then,
it has been true every step of the way in fact."
"And what else do I remember? I recall all sorts of things. It was a bright but very cold day in Glasgow.
Charlie,
Tony and I took the No. 12 bus into the city centre from our housing scheme in Toryglen. Stopping at one of the
many chip shops en route, just as we had endless times previously, especially when we had gone to see our favourite artists e.g.
Bowie, Roxy, Mott, Genesis, Harvey, Cockney Rebel,
Alice Cooper and so many more. I am sure that I decided not to eat, already feeling too nervous about the evening to come. I had lost all
appetite. To this day I rarely eat anything after midday on the day of a gig. I guess the nerves still come into play."
"That day was going to be very different for us, and I could really feel it. Already a big deal, we were after all headed to the same building
in Renfield Street where we had seen all those bands play. This time though, far from spectating, we would be playing our very own music. That was both
scary and hard to believe."
"Tony Donald and
Duncan Barnwell: Their time within Simple Minds might have been short lived, but I always
consider them to be original members. Tony of course was a school friend, a class mate from primary school. His
enthusiasm for music also lit some kind of passion within me and Charlie. So let's be clear: in the very
beginning it was not only just me and Charlie who dreamt this thing up.
Tony and of course Brian McGee were fundamental. And while considering
that, Joe Donnelly, who later went on to form The Silencers, also was a big part of our embryonic,
schoolboy energy that years later would emerge and become known as Simple Minds. As for Duncan Barnwell? Despite his
little lasting involvement, there is no doubt about it, he is an original Simple Mind. A little bit older, he already carried himself
like a professional, and both he and his gold Les Paul guitar were with us almost every day in those crucial first twelve months as our initial songs and
attitude were coming together. Eventually it was Duncan who introduced us to his mate,
Derek Forbes. Well, I think we all know what unfolded as a result of that.
In fact Barnwell, perhaps more than any of us, felt certain that Simple Minds were headed for
big stuff. His quiet conviction bordered on a neat kind of arrogance in my view, and I looked up to him for that. He was no less than 100% genuine
in his belief, that in turn helped us all believe. When for example considering all other local bands at that time, or any competition for that matter,
he expressed a kind of attitude best summed up as "F*ck them. Who cares? They don't count!" To this day I am both ashamed and happy to say that a
little of Duncan's philosophy lives on in our camp."- Jim, 15th January 2017
"The venue was Satellite City, Glasgow."
"The band featured Brian McGee (Drums),
Tony Donald (Bass),
Duncan Barnwell (Guitar),
Charlie Burchill (Guitar) and yours truly (Vocals).
It was there and then that Simple Minds stepped onto a stage for
the very first time."
"Unheard of previously, and walking on to nothing more than the sound of our own feet.
Surely no one present in that dimly-lit ballroom could have envisaged that those inexperienced teenagers
plugging in, would from that evening set out on an odyssey of four decades and more?
Yet inexplicably. 40 years later. Here we are. Anything but teenagers?"
"Memories from that far back are inevitably opaque. More precarious than precise.
Still, I have no problem recalling the huge frisson of excitement as Charlie
spat out the opening chords to a song that introduced us to the world.
Or, OK then... to a few hundred people at least.
Anyway, it was called Act Of Love. And it just sounded glorious."
"In any case, the roof was somehow raised that evening.
A first for us. And Boy, it felt so good.
I guess it is fair to say that in partnership with our globetrottin’ road crews, we have been in the
business of raising roofs the world over ever since."
"And what blessed work that is. As long as you have the right tools?
For Simple Minds that has meant writing hundreds of songs, and releasing tons of records.
Once done, we’ve hurtled ourselves around the globe repeatedly. Performing thousands of shows and energetically
entertaining millions.
None of which could have been done without a growing ensemble of musicians and singers, contributing to the
shape and design of our sound.
None of which could have been done without our producers and managers to encourage and guide.
None of which could have been done without our fans and supporters."
"To all the aforementioned – our gratitude is truly immeasurable."
"It is said that “the journey of one thousand steps, begins with one step.”
That is undoubtedly true.
Without that first step, and without that first Minds gig?
There would be no journey.
No story.
No memories to look back on now."
"That is why 40 years later.
Simple Minds consider January 17th,1978, to be worth celebrating.
Both today, and as planned, substantially more at some point soon." - Jim, 17th January 2018
"It's scary to think that a life could seemingly be made by a single event that took place on
particular day, but that is how I view things. The event I'm thinking of happened 42 years ago this week, (17th of January) on
a bitterly cold Monday night in Glasgow. And although characteristically not the type to take much notice of birthdays
and anniversaries, mine or anyone else's, it always comes natural for me to reflect a little on that date when
it comes round annually."
"To say I was excited during the hours leading up to Simple Minds' first ever gig is an understatement. It
also ignores the fact that the emotion I was experiencing most was nervousness. A colossal amount of nervousness.
Enough to make me do a U-turn back to the squalid dressing room - just as we had all begun walking towards the stage.
Those nerves suddenly needed an outlet - and I needed to vomit. Stagefright!"
"That taken care of, I was ready to go join Charlie Burchill,
Brian McGee,
Tony Donald and
Duncan Barnwell, all stood side stage waiting on me. A minute or so later,
Charlie hit the opening chord.
McGee booted his bass drum.
Tony's bass rhythm began working towards a crescendo.
And Duncan let loose with a guitar solo both beautiful and abrasive. With that
Simple Minds were born. And already sounded 'f*cking great.' At least to my ears."
"True. I hadn't even sung one line yet, and I was convincing myself that we were en-route to becoming a worldwide success.
Don't laugh. What did I know? I was only 18. And if you are going to aim for anything, no point in not aiming high?
In any case, every story needs a beginning, and our story genuinely began that night."
"So what if things had not gone so well for us on that first gig? Would we have crawled back home, licking out wounds?
Drowning in disappointment? Humiliated etc?
Yes, I would have experienced all of that and more. But soon enough those feelings would have subsided and we would have
moved forward, even more determined."
"One thing for certain. No way would we have made any U-turns within our goal. We might still have been babes, but we were tough.
We had something, and we were hellbent on adventure. Plus, we were more than ready to push ourselves to unknown limits.
Others seemed to be doing it for fun? Not us. A lifetime of dedication lay in front. That I recognised, from the very first gig.
42 years ago this week." - Jim, 12th January 2020
BS: ...Looking back at the band's incredible career, you're celebrating
your fortieth anniversary, and let's go back to the very beginning, the 17th January 1978, you played
your first gig at Satellite City. You were third on a four band bill:
Steel Pulse were the headliners. You'd come off the back of Johnny And The Self Abusers - who'd had a bit
of success - you'd been playing
to good crowds in places like the Doune Castle and stuff like that.
You'd
released a single, albeit splitting up the day it hit the shops, but what was the expectation with
Simple Minds? Do you think if you got a shot, this could really fly? What do you remember of the gig first of all?
JK: As we went on that first night?
BS: Yeah.
JK: It's funny how things do stick in your mind. You'll remember but Satellite City was a discotheque, and it was on top of the Apollo Theatre so you
had to go - there was a lift - but you had to go up six or seven flights of stairs. It was a serious hike. And I remember we arrived there - and the main band
must've been using the elevator - so we were carrying McGee's drums up and carrying all this stuff up and you'd
line your gear up hoping you'd get a soundcheck and stuff. And there's a few things about that night. It was the first time I'd seen any Rastas - I'd never
seen a Rasta, because we didn't have a West Indian community in Glasgow or in Scotland - or any visible - sadly we didn't. So seeing these Rasta guys was like
mind-blowing. We were sitting and watching the soundcheck and - you're right - with
Johnny And The Self Abusers we'd had a little apprenticeship - but for
Charlie and I, as soon as we went in the rehearsal hall for the first day of Simple Minds, we knew this was all
or nothing because Johnny And The Self Abusers had kind of been a joke band - this was real. This either was going to
work or not work. And the chances that it wasn't going to work were much greater.
JK: However, we'd written these songs, one of which was called
Pleasantly Disturbed which - and I can say this, because I'm talking musically more than lyrically so I'm not being
big headed - but I thought it was a master piece that Charlie had written. He'd really come up with something there. So I knew
we had a great end to the set but I wasn't quite sure about the 25 minutes previously. However, a couple of days before the gig, Charlie
came up with this riff for a song called Act Of Love and just hearing it coming out of the amplifier for the first time, I
just thought "I think we're going to be OK here. I think this is going to work." But it's not until you walk on stage, to the sound of your own feet, and welcomed
with two hand claps...
BS: Because I remember being there, and first on were a band called the Nu Sonics, who, of course, evolved into Orange Juice. Second on the bill were
Rev Volting And The Backstabbers, who became James King And The Lone Wolves, and Steel Pulse had just had a hit with Ku Klux Klan at the
time so they were flying high. But I remember seeing you, and you looked like no other guy I'd ever seen in Glasgow, you looked very ill at ease, you looked nervous,
you almost looked like you'd rather be anywhere else than standing up in the spotlight behind that microphone having to entertain an audience. So what was it that
drove you? What was it that made you think you could do it?
JK: I remember that clearly because the way you describe me there is pretty apt. But do you remember, between the soundcheck, it was a freezing night - and
between the soundcheck and the gig I went downstairs - there's a chip shop...
BS: Mr. Chips.
JK: OK. You even remember the names!
BS: I used to go there. I used to have a loyalty card. They invited me to their Christmas nights out, I was such a valued customer.
JK: You glutton! I'm amazed you remember the gig but - anyway - you remember the chips. Anyway we went down and I was starving - and it was the first
time I knew 'I can't eat these chips' because the nerves were so bad that I knew I would hurl them up as we went on stage. That's how ill at ease I was with
the whole thing. And yet, the other half of me, was saying 'We're going to be one of the biggest bands in the world.' [Laughs] So there was this conflict.
We didn't know anyone from a band. There was no local scene, really, to grow out of because up until then, people still felt they had to go to London to make it.
So Glasgow - I wouldn't say it was a desert but there wasn't many people playing their own stuff in bars and pubs then.
JK: So the idea that you could... it was so unlikely.
Interview with Billy Sloan
BBC Radio Scotland
2nd November 2019
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No U Turns (Well, Maybe Just One!)
"It's scary to think that a life could seemingly be made by a single event that took place on particular day, but
that is how I view things. The event I'm thinking of happened
42 years ago this week, (17th of January) on a bitterly
cold Monday night in Glasgow. And although characteristically not the type to take much notice of birthday's and anniversaries,
mine or anyone else's, it always comes natural for me to reflect a little on that date when it comes round annually."
"To say I was excited during the hours leading up to Simple Minds' first ever gig is an understatement. It also ignores the
fact that the emotion I was experiencing most was nervousness. A colossal amount of nervousness. Enough to make me do a U-turn back to
the squalid dressing room - just as we had all begun walking towards the stage. Those nerves suddenly needed an outlet and I needed
to vomit. Stagefright!"
"That taken care of, I was ready to go join Charlie Burchill,
Brian McGee,
Tony Donald and
Duncan Barnwell, all stood side stage waiting on me. A minute or so later,
Charlie hit the opening chord.
McGee booted his bass drum.
Tony's bass rhythm began working towards a crescendo. And
Duncan let loose with a guitar solo both beautiful and abrasive."
"With that Simple Minds were born. And already sounded 'f*cking great.' At least to my ears."
"True. I hadn't even sung one line yet, and I was convincing myself that we were en-route to becoming a worldwide success. Don't laugh.
What did I know? I was only 18."
"And if you are going to aim for anything, no point in not aiming high? In any case, every story needs a beginning, and our story
genuinely began that night. So what if things had not gone so well for us on that first gig? Would we have crawled back home, licking our
wounds? Drowning in disappointment? Humiliated etc? Yes, I would have experienced all of that and more. But soon enough those feelings would
have subsided and we would have moved forward, even more determined."
"One thing for certain. No way would we have made any U turns within our goal. We might still have been babes, but we were tough.
We had something, and we were hellbent on adventure. Plus, we were more than ready to push ourselves to unknown limits."
"Others seemed to be doing it for fun? Not us. A lifetime of dedication lay in front. That I recognised, from the very first gig.
42 years ago this week."
Jim
12th January 2020
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JK: The overriding thing was the before and after. Because to say I was
nervous personally would be the understatement of the century. Both
Charlie Burchill and I - and actually
Brian McGee as well - prior to Simple Minds and prior to our
debut gig, we had spent the summer being in this punk band called
Johnny And The Self Abusers. And we
probably did about 20 gigs. So,
although that hardly made us veterans, we had a taste for it. And even though
Johnny And The Self Abusers was a bit of a joke outfit, we always got a great
reaction. So we were doing something right. And we were hoping to ...
JK: With Simple Minds stakes were high. This was serious. After sort-of putting our toe in the water, after
the amount of enjoyment we got from Johnny And The Self Abusers, it was like
'Yeah - but can we really do something for real?' And, we'd just had that first gig in Satellite City you mentioned
there - if it hadn't gone well, who knows? And just to set the scene for you, Satellite City was - the famous gig
in Glasgow was a place called The Apollo Theatre - it was the Green's Theatre - that was the temple. The theatre itself
is where we saw Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and all the prog rock bands. Glasgow was then a back water
culturally, it's not the Glasgow we know now. But when the bands came to town, that was the place. And the audiences were
great. And to us it was just the temple. But there was an attic space above the theatre that had this ballroom - or as
they used to call them 'discotheques' in those days. And we could never get in to it - we were never cool enough. You'd go up
with your best clobber on, hoping to get in, but we were still young and the bouncers were like 'Not tonight lads.'
JK: So somebody from the local record shop - I believe- punted up the money to put on a gig. I mean, a discotheque
on a Monday night on the 17th January [Laughs] - and there were four local bands - we were one of them - making our debut.
There was a band called Nu Sonics, who quite soon afterwards went on to become Orange Juice. And a couple of
other bands that didn't really go on.
JK: Anyway, we were somewhere in the middle of the bill. And we had rehearsed / worked for the six weeks in advance
to come up with a set of mostly original songs. And the first song was this song called Act Of Love.
You know, judging the fact that no-one had ever heard you or knew you, your first song was really important. Because people
decided within a minute whether they were going to hang around or give you their attention. So, your first song, you really
had to make a statement. And with Act of Love, our career began that night and,
although I said we were frigid with nerves before going on, as soon as Charlie played
the riff, I could feel the adrenaline go through me and -
JK: Can you swear on this podcast Mark?
MM: Go ahead.
JK: This sounds fucking great. And I was away. And the band sounded great. Of course, me thinking it
sounded great is one thing, it remained to be seen what the audience thought.
JK: But anyway, the long and short of it was, we played about a 30 minute set, walked on to the sound of our own
feet, and when we left there was mayhem - mayhem in a good way. And to get mayhem going on a cold January night, an
unknown band, a Glasgow audience, I remember coming off thinking 'The future's bright.' Now, when I say the future's bright,
what I mean is 'We might get a gig in Dundee, or Edinburgh, or Aberdeen or whatever. I mean, that would be amazing.
And then we'll see how it goes.' And here we are, 44 years later, on this week, or last week, still really pursuing the
same things because I think if you'd said to us back then, if you'd said to me 'What do you want out of this?' We'd no
image of the fame, or the riches, or the rewards that might come - or the experience in its wake - but I'm pretty
sure we would've said to you 'We want to be in a great live band. And we want to take it around the world.' Because we
really did. 'And we want to try and get a life out of it.' And here we are, as I say, more than four decades later, still
attempting to do that.
Jim Kerr and Mark Millar
XS Noize Podcast Episode #63
30th January 2022
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
5th February 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
12th February 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
19th February 1978
Third Eye Center, Glasgow, UK
24th February 1978
"It was around middle of February, 1978. The venue was The Third Eye Centre, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, and we were
playing our 4th Simple Minds gig. The very first happened only three weeks previously. Our average age then was 18 years old.
Original Minds bassist, Tony Donald, played that night. As did rhythm guitarist
Duncan Barnwell. Another original Mind,
Brian McGee, was on drums. Powerful and energetic as always, I believe my
hearing has never fully recovered from standing on tiny stages, too close to McGee's drums.
Although still in the embryonic stage, the place was packed. An arts centre cafe/restaurant, The Third Eye probably
held about 150 people, but seemingly a buzz about Simple Minds had already started in the city."
"Wearing lipstick and playing violin, Charlie Burchill looks a picture
of concentration that night. Charlie built some of his instruments
and was always worried that they would fall apart during gigs. They often did. Me?
I'm drunk, and look like a young stag caught in the headlights."
"I think I began drinking at the soundcheck earlier that Friday afternoon. Anything really, to help me with the stage
fright that I experienced for the first few years of performing. In those days I was always terrified as the hour came
close to go on stage. Until I'd reminded my self that it was 'only a gig' I was taking part in, not the Battle Of El Alamein,
as my grandfather had done as a member of the Eight Army when he was not that much older."
"How did I end up with no shirt? The answer is that I rarely wore shirts then.
I had a theatrical looking, black coat, that buttoned up to the neck - and that was it!
I had seen some of the cast of the local Citizen's Theatre wear something similar in a production of Macbeth, and thought
they looked amazing. I still often wear black coats on stage. The influence of that theatre group lives on.
The question is - what happened to my coat that night?"
"I do recall the spotlights being incredibly hot. So I took it off? The nausea was coming on, my head was spinning, and
unfortunately I was starting to feel like throwing up. Thankfully I did not. Not that night."
"Is there anything at all of that kid - inside me now?"
"Yes there is."
"Although only starting out, he thought about his art and his band night and day. Then again, there was nothing else
in his life at that moment in time? He was under real pressure though, from many who told him it was insane to be playing around
with music, when at that age he should be serious about "getting a real job" and going to either Canada or Australia to make
a good life."
"Well, years later, I do have a few thing going on in my life. But I go to both Canada and Australia for work often enough.
And over these last weeks in particular I have thought about little else other than my art and my band.
Working on it solidly. Night and day. And I do still walk around without a shirt.
Whenever I'm home alone." - Jim, 17th February 2019
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
26th February 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
5th March 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
12th March 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK
19th March 1978
Confirmed by a poster included with Heart Of The Crowd.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
26th March 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
2nd April 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
9th April 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK
16th April 1978
At height of three-chord dole-queue punk, early Simple Minds gigs were little short of revolutionary. Band declared
intention to create something "too good to be ignored". Blithely ignoring uninspiring setting of tiny L-shaped bar, crammed to gunwales, they oozed potential.
"It started with ambient collage tape, then the band took the stage in the dark, backs to the crowd. The music was a fantastic,
melodic mix of the old and new waves. They played, in early and rather better forms, the songs that would eventually become their first album.
Jim Kerr, in a white jacket and make-up - unheard of then - had real chrisma and the mix of darkness,
drive and drama was royally exciting." Ian Cranna.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
23rd April 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
30th April 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK
7th May 1978
An advert confirms the date of this gig.
Haldane Building, Glasgow, UK
9th May 1978
A red-eye poster still exists with this date. Tickets cost £1 and there was a late bar.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
14th May 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK
21st May 1978
An advert confirms the date of this gig.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
28th May 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
4th June 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
11th June 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
18th June 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
25th June 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
2nd July 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
9th July 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
16th July 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
23rd July 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK
30th July 1978
Main Set: Tonight /
Take Me To The Angels /
Chelsea Girl /
Act Of Love /
Saints And Sinners /
Dead Vandals /
Murder Story /
White Light-White Heat /
Caught In A Dream /
European Son /
You Better Watch Out /
Wasteland /
Doo-Be-Doo /
Cocteau Twins/...
This was the first Simple Minds bootleg. It's the only source of recordings of
Caught In A Dream and
You Better Watch Out.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
6th August 1978
The Bothy, Turnhouse, Edinburgh, UK
7th August 1978
Not a Simple Minds' gig, but the official party to celebrate the launch of the
ZOOM/ARISTA RECORD LABEL.
Thanks to Clive for the scan.
Astoria, Abbeymount, Edinburgh, UK
10th August 1978
Supporting: Generation X
Main Set: ...Cocteau Twins ... / ...
Take Me To The Angels ... / ...
Sweet Things ... / ...
Tonight ... / ...
You Better Watch Out ... / ...
Chelsea Girl ... / ...
Murder Story /
Pleasantly Disturbed
The gig was set up by Steve Mackie, the man behind Housewives Choice records (who later released the first single by
The Cuban Heels) and was their first gig in Edinburgh.
Brian Hogg went to the gig, to see 'the other half of The Abusers.' After the show,
he telephoned
Bruce Findlay to rave about the show, and
wrote a glowing review in the fanzine
Cripes.
"We played with Generation X in - we opened for Generation X in Falkirk. And I remember, they were the most glamourous thing
I'd ever seen. We stood with duffle coats on, watching them getting off the bus. I mean, Billy Idol, he just looked like a Greek God. It took us
about ten minutes to blow them off stage, it just ... they weren't very good. - Jim, 22nd January 2022
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
13th August 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
20th August 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
27th August 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
3rd September 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
10th September 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
17th September 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
24th September 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
1st October 1978
Ruffles, Aberdeen, UK
2nd October 1978
Supporting: The Stranglers
The Skids were booked and advertised as the support but had to be replaced at short notice.
(Stuart Adamson had broken his hand).
"We went there scared shitless, because the audience hadn't come for us; we stood there unannounced. We had to give three encores."
"I do remember that it was an excellent gig and thinking at the time that the support was great.
I note you were missing the venue name, Ruffles. This was not generally a good rock venue, more of
a tacky disco kind of place. But it was good for getting you near the acts. Possibly too near
on this occasion as the audience took to spitting at The Stranglers (out of admiration!)
and this upset Jean-Jaques who launched his bass backwards over his head
and dived into the crowd to knock lumps out of one of the gobbers, before resuming the show.
The venue is now long gone after various attempts to improve it followed by "fire" that finished
it off." - Alistair
Apparently this was a rescheduled date for The Stranglers as they pulled out of a previous date
(probably 13th September 1978).
Grafton Bar, Glasgow, UK
4th October 1978
Astoria, Abbeymount, Edinburgh, UK
5th October 1978
Supporting: The Only Ones
Main Set: ...White Light-White Heat
"The amazing intro tape of ticking clocks and chimes was something Mick did
on his Fafisa organ he had at the time. The band came on stage and stood with their backs
to the audience during the frenzied opening number driven by Mick's piano playing
which segued into the next number when Jim and the rest of the band turned round
to face the audience. I was standing stage right in front of Mick's piano and
Duncan Barnwell was on Mick's right.
Derek Forbes was on the extreme left
Charlie had a flying V guitar and violin. I have always remembered
the piano playing on the intro and was totally amazed to hear it again on this site after all these years! Now at the end of
the gig the band had to walk off past me and came back for an encore which
was pretty amazing for a support band. White Light White Heat was
the encore and I remember
Mick's pint fell off his piano and landed at my feet! - John Pottage
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
8th October 1978
Town Hall, Grangemouth, UK
9th October 1978
Supporting: Ultravox
The Simple Minds as they were billed, supported Ultravox. Advance tickets cost £1.40, saving
20 pence if you purchased at the door.
Bungalow Bar, Paisly, UK
13th October 1978
Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK
14th October 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
15th October 1978
Ruffles, Aberdeen, UK
18th October 1978
"Excellent Glasgow band, Simple Minds, who played support to The Stranglers at their recent
Aberdeen gig, returned to Ruffles on Wednesday night and played under completely different circumstances. It may
have been that the Aberdeen public did not receive enough notification about the band's booking or it may have been
confusion over whether the Doomed were playing. Whatever it was there was not a lot of people to see one of the
best new bands around"
Many thanks to Ron for the advert and press review.
Carneige Hall Annexe, Dunfermline, UK
21st October 1978
Main Set: ...Chelsea Girl.../...Pleasantly Disturbed
Jim mentioned signing the Arista contract the morning
after the Dunfermline gig.
Tiffany's, Edinburgh, UK
22nd October 1978
Supporting: Ignatz
This concert is open to question as a press advert suggests Simple Minds played Samanthas in Dundee with 999
on this date.
Thanks to Craig for the scan.
However, Eddie Cairns remembered first working with
Simple Minds at Tiffany's in 1978: "I started working full time with Rosetta Stone and
at that time moved to Edinburgh and started to share a flat with Wee Dougie. He was doing
various things around town and I managed to fit in a few of the gigs with him – usually non paying!
One was in 1978 in Tiffany's in Edinburgh for a band I had already seen in the "Mars Bar" and loved – Simple Minds – and
I also did a few other gigs helping out that year but mainly I was working with Rosetta Stone." - Eddie Cairns
Doune Castle, Glasgow, UK
23rd October 1978
The band's fee was £25 plus a tray of filled rolls. And they were constantly asked to turn the
volume down - peas were leaping off the plates of diners in the steakhouse upstairs.
Apollo, Glasgow, UK
27th October 1978
Supporting: Siouxsie And The Banshees
Support: Spizzoil
After this gig, they travelled to Edinburgh to open for The Pleasers.
Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK
27th October 1978
Supporting: The Pleasers
Main Set:
Intro (1978) /
Sweet Things ...
Murder Story ...
Someone ...
Rosemary's Baby ... /
Pleasantly Disturbed
Encore:
White Light White Heat
After the Siouxsie And The Banshees gig in the afternoon, they rushed to Edinburgh to play this gig.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
29th October 1978
University, Glasgow, UK
November 1978
Supporting: 999
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
5th November 1978
Town Hall, Grangemouth, UK
9th November 1978
Supporting: Squeeze
Main Set:
Intro (1978) /
Sweet Things /
Take Me To The Angels /
Chelsea Girl /
Someone /
Murder Story /
Cocteau Twins /
Rosemary's Baby /
Pleasantly Disturbed
The show was recorded by Howard Thompson who was the first A&R person to see
the band. Many thanks to Lindsay Hutton for the set-list..
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
12th November 1978
Astoria Abbeymount, Edinburgh, UK
16th November 1978
Supporting: The Jolt
Support: The Dirty Dossers
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
19th November 1978
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
26th November 1978
Pollocks Hall, Glasgow, UK
December 1978
This was their 48th show as Simple Minds and they
signed to Zoom Records after this performance.
Mars Bar, Glasgow, UK*
3rd December 1978
Robert Gordon College, Aberdeen, UK
8th December 1978
Art School, Glasgow, UK
14th December 1978
Technical College, Dundee, UK
15th December 1978
Ben Edmunds and
John Leckie travelled up to Scotland to see this show.
Astoria Abbeymount, Edinburgh, UK
21st December 1978
Support: Mowgli And The Donuts
Abbots Hall, Kircaldy, UK
22nd December 1978
A Zoom press release lists this gig for the afternoon of the 23rd. However
other lists suggest this date.
Abbots Hall, Kircaldy, UK
Cuinzie Neuk, Kinghorn, UK
23rd December 1978
This is how the gigs were listed on the Zoom press release
and Cripes. Jim suggested that both were cancelled.
Town Hall, Grangemouth, UK
28th December 1978
Support: The Heat
Main Set:
Sweet Things /
Take Me To The Angels /
Chelsea Girl /
Someone /
Murder Story /
Cocteau Twins
MM: One of the songs from those early demos was a song called
Cocteau Twins which caught the attention of Liz Fraser,
Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie who named their band The Cocteau Twins after hearing the song.
So Simple Minds were inspiring artists from the very beginning.
JK: That's true. We used to go through to Grangemouth to play and Guthrie's brother was the promoter. And he
would get us gigs. And we would get to open up for some other bands that were the original prototype for us, really
early on, Ultravox and Magazine, and all that. He was putting them on in Grangemouth - Grangemouth Town Hall - he
knew that was our kind of thing. And, obviously we would send him the cassettes and stuff. So I can only assume his younger
brother, got to cop onto that. But if we have inspired others then, that's a great thing.
Jim Kerr and Mark Millar
XS Noize Podcast Episode #63
30th January 2022
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