Simple Minds at The Olympia | Review

As one of Scotland’s most successful ever bands, Simple Minds embark on their greatest hits tour. Monday night was the first performance of this instalment of gigs. The band have achieved massive success on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly in the 80’s, and perhaps the biggest test for the band is to see if their songs still have the appeal they had nearly 30 years ago.

There was no support, and the band came on stage just after eight o’clock. The band opened strongly, with a strong rhythm section providing a steady pulse while the melody moves from the synths to the guitar and back again. Kerr’s voice is as strong as ever, and he has a commanding presence on stage, managing to get the crowd involved and clapping along early on with Waterfall. All The Things She Said and Up On The Catwalk were two catchy tracks with massive choruses that allowed the band to settle a bit. However, after this point the songs seemed to blend into one another. Featuring similar structures, the big, slow, anthemic tunes began to become a bit wearing. Another problem was that some of the tunes sound awfully dated. Let There Be Love in particular sounds very of its age, and the crowd seemed to lose a little interest around this point, with the level of conversation rising somewhat. The interval came at the right time, and allowed the crowd, and the band, to have a moment to gather themselves.

The band came out rejuvenated after the break, with the members becoming much more animated on stage, jumping about and looking much more interested. Someone, Somewhere in Summertime was a belter, with a long, powerful build-up and a wonderful chorus. The song that really lifted the crowd though was Don’t you Forget About Me, a truly timeless pop classic that really got the crowd excited. The sing-a-long at the end lasted a tad too long though, and the song just petered out. The band remained on form for the reminder of the show, with Sanctify Yourself showcasing Kerr’s voice. The wonderful Alive And Kicking concluded the night, and left everyone going home in good humour after another epic sing-a-long.

There’s no doubt that Simple Minds are excellent performers well capable of putting a top-quality concert. But really, aside from a few stunning pop anthems, the band essentially serve as a vehicle for a nostalgia trip, with little appeal to a younger generation.