Gig review: Simple Minds

SQUELCHING their way towards buses and taxis, damp enough to grow cress in their underwear, the crowd filing out from the Esplanade on Saturday night should have looked a dismal sight but they were dancing and jigging all the way down the hill because they'd just seen Simple Minds on top form and nothing could wipe the smile from their faces.

The rain came on literally within seconds of the support act, The Silencers, taking the stage but they still managed to warm up the crowd with their bluesy soulful sound. From the appropriately named Scottish Rain to the sing-along favourite The Real McCoy they distracted from the biblical downpour and set the scene for the main attraction.

All their good work was almost undone by an unknown hitch which prevented the headliners from following them on for around 20 minutes, but as soon as they hit the first notes of Waterfront all was forgiven and forgotten and the Castle rocked to a sea of jumping, swaying and clapping bodies.

However good Simple Minds are on record, their real strength lies in live performance and this was a prime example of their skills. Following the blistering opening number they kept the energy levels at eleven all night and if there had been a roof, by the time Alive and Kicking came on it would have been blown off by the crowd's reaction.

Jim Kerr is clearly having the time of his life at the moment with the resurgence of interest in the band and he transmitted his joy out into the swarm of happy followers hanging on his every note.

Kerr is an old fashioned rock showman who feeds on the adoration of the crowd. Unlike Patsy Kensit's other ex, you can't imagine him asking an audience to stop clapping. He also could have a second career in fitness videos as it's not many 50-year-olds who can show the flexibility he demonstrated on stage.

As darkness descended the show kept up the same high-powered feeling. Hit followed hit and, alongside a smattering of material from the band's new return to form album, were all sung back to them by the crowd.

The band headed off after playing their hearts out for over and hour and teased the multitude before heading back for a 20-minute encore to send them away deliriously happy.

As Kerr's admitted in several interviews, Simple Minds were in the doldrums for a few years and had even seriously considered hanging up their rock hats. Saturday's audience were the beneficiaries of their decision to give it one last try and to reconnect with the spirit that made them such a powerhouse in the eighties.

This performance showed that they had truly recaptured whatever it was they had been missing over the last few years and the soggy Simple Minds fans from across the globe who attended let them know they'd succeeded it in no uncertain terms.