Simple Minds – Piece Hall, Halifax: Live!

By Mike Ainscoe on 9th July 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Simple Minds – Piece Hall, Halifax – Monday 7th July 2025

majesty and might

Simple Minds – live in the city of wool. Seems apt given the location and the Minds’ trio of live albums that have had seen them in the City of Lights (Paris), the City of Angels (LA) and most recently the City of Diamonds (Amsterdam). Yeah, Halifax (Calderdale) might not have quite the same ring, but after playing on the vast stage on the prom in Lytham the previous night and taking on the sea breeze, the regal courtyard of the Piece Hall provides a more enclosed presence for the majesty and might of The Minds.

It’s their first time in Halifax – “We’d better be good and not f@@k up!” says Jim Kerr, whose jeans are about to get another thorough testing as he jigs and throws his signature mic twirling and shapes (although no longer with the questionable fashions and hairstyles of yore) all across the lip of the stage. Wherever Simple Minds go, hearing the immortal phrase goes with them – “everybody please, let me see your hands!” Genially meeting and greeting off to the very edges, he makes sure everyone is part of the celebration. He even takes a leaf from Tim Booth’s book and steps down to the barrier as Let There Be Love (oooh yeah!) weaves in.

As the band – with the core of Jim and the king of the harmonic guitar decoration Charlie Burchill still flying the flag – amazingly, approaches a fifty year anniversary, it’s perhaps no surprise Jim proffers a couple of “I’m knackered“‘s – taking a breather to introduce the band and then as the five piece instrumentalists storm through a belting Theme For Great Cities. One where Ged Grimes pumps his basslines centre stage and the amazing Cherisse Osei channels the spirit and the power of Mel Gaynor. That’s the signal for the final lap when Jim and Sarah Brown return having had the chance to slip into something more suitable as the lighting rig starts kicking in.

There’s no place in the setlist over these Summer dates for the deeper cuts that might have peppered last year’s Global Tour that we saw in Manchester. Summer ’25 is wall to wall hits in the setlist juggling stakes. The only personal gripe is no New Gold Dream tonight (curse you Lytham). In football terms, it’s a perfect example of squad rotation. They could probably do another completely different set rammed with hits – Belfast Child, Sanctify Yourself, Up On The Catwalk, Stand By Love, Let The Day Begin, She’s A River. Granted the pick may not feature too much from the past decade or so but would work rather well as the proven by the Metallica two nights/two sets extravaganza.

Once Upon A Time is heavily represented with Sarah Brown stepping quite naturally as she has done in her tenure, into the Robin Clark part from that era. She’s a perfect fit for the title track and beyond (or the songs are a perfect fit for her…) and she gets the full spotlight in Book Of Brilliant Things come the encore.

The notion that Jim is “too old for this malarkey” is taken with a pinch of salt. “We’re just warming up,” he declares after I Wish You Were Here just as the second wind comes with the ringing intro to Someone Somewhere In Summertime. The richness of the music that swells in the “somewhere there is someone who can see what I can see” line ignites the warmth of nostalgia and there are no complaints as Jim, Charlie & Co shine he spotlight on the gems of their legacy. It’s a legacy that nudges the memory banks to the days when Promised You A Miracle was used by U2 as their intro music back in 1984.

The Minds have come a long way from white socks and back slip ons in clifftop videos not to mention (although we just have) Johnny & The Self Abusers. Who would have guessed that young Johnny would have set himself up for life.