Andy Ffrench is bowled over by the return of Scot-rockers Simple Minds

Following this energetic show at the New Theatre I can confirm that Simple Minds are still definitely alive and kicking.

The stadium rockers took fans on a journey through their back catalogue in an entertaining show, last Thursday, lasting over two hours.

Singer Jim Kerr knew he had to pace himself, so he didn’t run around too much at the start of the set. But he never flagged, and kept working the crowd all the way through the gig – encouraging fans to sing along and clap their hands at regular intervals.

The band started the concert with something new, the latest single Broken Glass Park.

But they knew it was the old hits most fans were waiting for, and packed the set with chart smashes from over the past four decades.

Waterfront, Up On The Catwalk, All The Things She Said, Glittering Prize, and Promised You A Miracle were all greeted with great affection and Kerr lingered over the outro for Don’t You Forget About Me, allowing the crowd to sing their hearts out.

“It makes us happy when you sing,” Kerr told the packed venue, illuminated by glittering bursts of strobe lighting.

One or two people complained that the singer’s vocal was too low in the mix and they were struggling to hear it against the backdrop of Mel Gaynor’s emphatic drumming. But I could hear the Scot perfectly well from my seat at the back of the stalls.

Highlighting Gaynor’s importance to their sound, the band literally put him on a pedestal – raised on a platform above the stage. After encores including New Gold Dream, Sanctify Yourself and Alive and Kicking, the group left to rapturous applause and l left feeling elated.

Let’s face it — music in the 1980s wasn’t all bad.