Latest news with #CharlieBurchill
South China Morning Post
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
When Simple Minds first played US and why, for singer Jim Kerr, the band is ‘a crusade'
When the Scottish band Simple Minds made their live debut at the Satellite City club in Glasgow on January 17, 1978, it is fair to wonder just how big the four teenagers in the band dared to dream. 'That's a good question,' says singer Jim Kerr, who along with guitarist Charlie Burchill, are the only founding members of Simple Minds to have stayed in the band for the 47 years since that first gig. 'And it's one that we've been reflecting on a lot recently, because Charlie and I have just finished off a book on the history of the band.' At the time, Kerr and Burchill were both 18 and had been friends for a decade, Kerr says. 'By the time we became teenagers, with Brian (McGee, the original drummer), we were in the same class at school. That's when you start to identify your tribe, especially walking around with vinyl albums under your sleeve you find out, oh, these are the guys I've got something in common with,' he says on a recent call from Los Angeles, where Simple Minds were rehearsing for a US tour. Play Burchill had a guitar, McGee had a drum kit, and Kerr would have done anything to be involved with music or a band.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Two Iconic Classic Rock Bands Join Forces For Epic Colorado Concert
80s rock legends Simple Minds and Modern English recently joined forces for an epic concert in Denver, Colorado on May 27. The two bands played together as part of Simple Minds' 'Alive and Kicking' tour, which stopped at Denver's Ball Arena. The members of both bands appeared to be in great spirits and were active during the performance, really getting their rock on. 80s synth duo Soft Cell — who are most famous for their 1981 cover of "Tainted Love" — is also part of the tour. Simple Minds, who are responsible for the hit song 'Don't You Forget About Me' from the 1985 film The Breakfast Club, consists of frontman Jim Kerr, 65, and guitarist Charlie Burchill, also 65, who are the two remaining original members of the band. Joining them on tour are a group of collaborators, including Gordy Goudie on guitar, Ged Grimes on bass, Cherisse Osei on drums, and Sarah Brown on backing vocals. Modern English, who put out the 1982 hit 'I Melt With You,' consists of vocalist Robbie Grey, guitarist Gary McDowell, bassist Mick Conroy, and keyboardist Stephen Walker, all original members of the band. They are joined by Gabriel Sullivan on guitar and Richard Chandler on drums. In the coming days, the tour will play several dates in Texas and then move on to other areas of the United States through late June, where the tour will close out at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana. From there, Simple Minds heads to Europe, where they will play the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands through the end of July. As for Modern English, the band does not have any shows scheduled after the 'Alive and Kicking' tour just yet, at least not according to their official website. Simple Mind has released a whopping 21 studio albums since they were formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1977, as well as seven EPs. For their part, Modern English has eight studio albums to their name and an additional three EPs since their own formation in Essex in 1979. Two Iconic Classic Rock Bands Join Forces For Epic Colorado Concert first appeared on Parade on May 28, 2025
