The night Simple Minds played the Dutch Mill in Kirkcaldy

Bruce Findlay was reflecting the other day on how he secured a major record deal for his band Simple Minds.
Simple MindsSimple Minds
Simple Minds

At that time, he owned Bruce’s Record shops, originally in Kirkcaldy High Street, before selling up to become Sleeves in a management buy-out.

His fledgling group had been a success across Scotland and even played the Dutch Mill on a festival day in December 1978.

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At that time, they were resident at Mars Bar in Glasgow making enough to buy a tour bus and played the Station Hotel in July that year too.

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With songs like Life In A Day, Chelsea Girl and the dance hit I Travel years ahead of its time they had a string of hit singles to come and were set to conquer.

They won over the USA too in 1985 when Don’t You (Forget About Me) was featured in The Breakfast Club gaining them a US No 1. Next week Simple Minds Live In The City Of Angels is released in many formats with great versions of their best-known tracks opening with The Signal And The Noise from their latest acclaimed studio album.

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The title reminds us of their 1987 Live In The City Of Lights but this set is mainly from a sold-out show in Los Angeles.

The original core of Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill have never sounded better and with each memory like Waterfront, Alive And Kicking, The American, Promised You A Miracle and All The Things She Said we can appreciate how they were arguably the world’s top live attraction back then. This new release recorded on a 31 date US tour was their first in two decades and biggest ever.

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