Jim’s Diary

Not that long ago, like everyone else, I continually could not wait for the yearly summer months to arrive. Somehow willing winter darkness to pass double-quick, while eye-balling the calendar with the greatest hope that season changes would pass in the blink of an eye. That...

Easter is my favourite time of year. Most probable the main reason for that is the sense of new beginning that is in the air, least so if you live in the northern hemisphere where the spring season is in full flow and new growth...

I don't need to tell you how much Simple Minds enjoy playing live, the thousands of gigs we have done throughout our career should be testimony enough to that. That said, "playing live" by its very nature usually implies touring and "touring" involves a lot...

As much as I enjoy playing live, the best moment for me is at the very end of the evening when the last note has rung out. You get the chance to catch your breath, stare out over what is usually a very happy crowd,...

Covering an iconic song, one that has already been made famous by another artist, can be as much challenging as it is fun, and naturally the results can vary, depending on whoever is judging that is. Some fans of music seemingly don't like the idea of...

Riga - First night  - European Tour '14 : It may have been 18 degrees below outside, but inside the venue it was business as usual as the pulse stated racing and the sweat began to flow. It felt good to be back playing live,...

The old town, with it's cobbled streets and antique white buildings, loom large in my lasting memory of Riga. However my biggest memory concerns the overwhelming pain I endured whilst suffering the worst toothache imaginable. Well, such is the way while on tour where all...

This year is set to end just like it began, with Simple Minds playing live in Scotland. And after Edinburgh twelve months ago, followed by Stonehaven this year, playing live at Hogmanay in the country of our birth is starting to feel like a tradition of...

"To so many of our generation, Nelson Mandela was both an extraordinary and inspirational human being. I am confident that nothing, including the sad news of his passing, will change that. It was an honour for us to have met him in 1990 during the...

In the end it had to be Glasgow! I am of course talking about where we have decided to shoot the Simple Minds in concert film that is due to be released next year. Our first filmed concert release incidentally, since our quite famous Verona...