Simple Minds

Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill were childhood friends who formed their first punk band Johnny & the Self-Abusers in Glasgow in 1977. They made a single Saints And Sinners, but split on its day of release with Kerr and Burchill going on to form Simple Minds, naming themselves after an Iggy Pop lyric. Various line-ups of the band evolved around Kerr/Burchill's songs before settling with Mick MacNeil, Derek Forbes and Brian McGee, embracing a poppier sound for debut album Life In A Day in 1979. The 1982 album New Gold Dream signalled a richer, more commercial direction, resulting in their first US No 1 Don't You (Forget About Me) featured in the movie The Breakfast Club. The line-up changed but, developing a big sound and an explosive stage presence that drew comparisons with U2, they became one of the world's top arena attractions. Their star faded through the 1990s, but they returned with a new album Graffiti Soul in 2009.