[Audio: Alive And Kicking [Acoustic]]

JK: For the longest time we've put off doing an acoustic album. Simple Minds are traditionally known as a stadium band: crashing drums, synthesizers, guitars and big, big vocals. So it became this challenge which we embraced.

JK: It was more than just trying a few acoustic songs. It every much was going back to the genetics, the very essence of the band. I think anyone listening in would be surprised to think that it came from a few people messing with acoustic guitars.

JK: Although it was an acoustic record, we still wanted it to have energy and drive. Sanctify Yourself was probably the most energetic track and the one that’s really going to work great live.

[Audio: Sanctify Yourself [Acoustic]]

CB: We’ve got Ged Grimes on bass who’s been playing with us for the past four-five years or so. And Sarah, who is backing vocalist and sometimes sings lead, has been with us for the same length of time. We have two new additions. Cherisse Osei who is percussion, and Gordon Goudie who is somebody we’ve worked with in the past – we’ve written a few songs together and worked on a couple of albums. It’s a great band actually and there’s a great enthusiasm from everyone and it’s a really interesting mix.

[Audio: Glittering Prize [Acoustic]]

JK: When we talk about us going back musically, for us we’re going back physically because the area the studio's in where we cut the tracks, Gorbals Studios, our families are from there, I was born yards away from where the studio is. Here we are nearly forty years later, back in the Gorbals, going back to Glasgow where it all really began for us. And funnily enough the acoustic guitar is the sound of the band again because it was Charlie’s mother, who when he was a kid, got him an acoustic.

JK: Last year when we did the session, the big songs everyone wanted to hear were Alive And Kicking and Don’t You (Forget About Me) and we’re looking forward to touring and playing them – and playing a lot more besides that. This is our busker version of it – it isn't the band version of course. We’re going to give you a taste of Don't You (Forget About Me) – because everyone else has done versions of it – and YouTube is full of people doing acoustic versions so this is our acoustic version.

[Audio: Don’t You (Forget About Me) [Acoustic] [just Jim and Charlie, very short version]

JK: That’s enough of that malarkey!

[Audio: Promised You A Miracle [Acoustic]] (Unedited video without KT Tunstall)

JK: K T Tunstall, who is going to join us on our first single from the album, Promised You A Miracle. Charlie and I have always loved her really as an artist and she was the first port of call. To say that we were blown away by her would be an understatement.

JK: We are going to tour this because Simple Minds have always been a live [band] and the challenge of doing an acoustic record [wouldn’t be met] if we couldn’t take it on tour. So, hopefully, people will like what they hear. And hear it evolve live as well, because it will evolve. It’s already evolving as we’re in rehearsing just now and you can see it starting to grow. In terms of what people can expect – even though we’re sat down on seats right now – it won’t be some sleepy “bongos on the beach” thing – they’re going to be really energetic shows. People will hear a lot of their favourite songs – if they’re Simple Minds fans – but they’ll hear them with a different slant. They might hear things within the songs that’ll take them by surprise.

[Audio: Alive And Kicking [Acoustic]]

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