By Jim Kerr, Simple Minds

It was 40 years ago this same week that Simple Minds first set foot in sunny Australia. Then again, given the thrills we were to experience over the next month or so, and thanks to those who turned out to see us, we were on such a high throughout that it often seemed as though our feet barely touched the ground.

Mostly unknown in Australia at the time of our arrival, and still without a hit record anywhere in the world. The notion that Simple Minds who at that point were still living mostly from hand to mouth in terms of finance, ( the lack of that is ) should justify gambling whatever scarce amount of money we had – on heading to what then seemed an overwhelmingly far flung destination – in the hope of ‘planting seeds’ that might kick start us on a path to future success in the Antipodes? It all seemed both precarious and wildly optimistic, especially so to our record company in the UK who would rather we kept touring nearer home.

Nevertheless, being full of a natural kind of ‘heady optimism’ was a huge part of our collective character. And with that being so we found ourselves high in the sky and heading below the equator for the first time in our lives, wondering throughout a long flight what exactly the next weeks might bring, and having no idea that we were about to enter some of the best days of our lives.

Something that I can’t put my finger on happened during the following month. Not that we were ever short, but our zooming confidence levels went off the radar as the songs from our still recently released Sons And Fascination became the highlights of a ‘live set’ that constantly kicked up a storm in front of audiences within every city visited.
Plus, having come so far, we had determined thoroughly that there was no way we were going to get on the flight back home to Glasgow, without making an impression that would leave both Australia and New Zealand clamouring for more from Simple Minds.
All of which most thankfully came to pass.

Decades later, as from today I have no idea when we will next be in OZ and NZ
But I guarantee to those impatiently waiting on news that we will be doing all to make the wait more than worthwhile.
Keep the faith!

JK