Simple Minds are alive, kicking and ready to rock Cornbury Festival

They may be in their fourth decade, but anthemic rockers Simple Minds are showing no signs of slowing down.

On the contrary, frontman Jim Kerr insists his band of Scottish stadium-fillers have only improved with age.

A full 37 years since he hit the tough Glasgow pub circuit with his punk band Johnny & The Self-Abusers, Jim is still filling arenas and topping festival bills with his punchy brand of rousing power-pop. Along the way they played Live Aid in Philadelphia, and starred at Mandela Day at Wembley Stadium – a venue they’d go on to headline in 1989. Then there were the hits, including Top Ten singles Don’t You (Forget About Me), Belfast Child and Alive and Kicking.

“It’s a great band and it’s getting better,” he says in his distinctive soft Glaswegian accent. “We are on a roll at the moment. We sound very tight and every year we play to more people.”

The band are part way through a European tour, and Jim is taking a few days off to relax with friends in Nice, on the Côte d’Azur.

“We are busy,” he says. “We are on tour at the moment doing the music festivals and big weekend events – so I canna’ complain!”

While the band have had their ups and downs, with an ever-shifting line-up, Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill have remained constant, along with long-term drummer Mel Gaynor.

“Charlie and I go back years,” he says. “We were school kids together and have known each other since we were eight years old. We grew up on the same street and listened to the same music. We grew up passionate about writing songs of our own and have been together ever since.

“As with a lot of classic bands, there’s an axis of a couple of people – but we work with people that make us seem musically better than we are. And I love them all.”

On Saturday, July 5, they headline Cornbury festival – bringing a welcome clutch of sing-along classics to a most eclectic bill, which also features the likes of Jools Holland, The Gipsy Kings and hip-hop act Arrested Development. It will be the band’s first trip to the festival, which started life at Cornbury Park, near Charlbury, but is now held at Great Tew.

“It’s always nice to play an event you’ve never played before,” he says. “Festivals have been a big part of the band’s career and they are always a party. We want to do well and give 100 per cent, and I know that from various social networking sites, a lot of people are looking forward to seeing us. It’s not just another gig.”

With songs about the conflict in Northern Ireland, apartheid and references to the poll tax, back in the decade of Thatcher Simple Minds were not afraid of tackling some of the big political issues of the day. So how do they feel about playing in front of the true-blue Chipping Norton set and possibly even the Prime Minister himself; Mr Cameron living close by and being a fan of the festival?

“I don’t think we are a heavily political band,” he says. “Of our 18 albums, only one, in 1989, addressed what were, for our generation, the big themes of the day. And while people assumed we were political, that doesn’t really tell the story.

“We welcome all when we play – all races, creeds and political persuasions. And we will give them a joyous, uplifting experience.”

While relaxed and engaging, Jim comes across as a serious man not given to small talk. The lifelong Celtic supporter, and former husband of Chrissie Hynde and Patsy Kensit, he knows his own place in rock history. And while not quite the arena-filling draw they once were, Simple Minds remain a creative force, having just finished recording a new album – Big Music, their first since 2009’s Graffiti Soul. And Jim remains devoted to the legacy of his life’s work in the band.

“Every gig is important,” he says. “We are saying ‘this is what we’ve done with our lives’, and we wouldn’t want to give a bad account. I am aware that people grew up with the band and are maybe wondering whether we are still as good as we were years ago. We try to live up to expectations and surpass them. We see people jumping up and down at our shows and having a good time. There’s a positive feeling.”

So what stand out as career highlights for this icon of 80s rock? “All the iconic things,” he says after a thoughtful pause. “Live Aid and coming on stage at Wembley will live with us forever. But, equally, I can’t tell you how exciting it was to play in the pubs of Glasgow, when we were starting out. There’d be two men and a dog, and the dog was biting you. But at the end of the gig you’d feel you had won. Each gig was oxygen for us to continue. All these years later, we are still playing around the world and thousands of people come to see us.

“The highlight is more a continual journey. The race is the prize.

“I really couldn’t have dreamed this career, or asked for more than we’ve had.”

Cornbury Festival takes place at Great Tew Park from July 4-6. Adult weekend camping tickets are £200 (VIP £310) from cornburyfestival.com