SIMPLE MINDS Bring Their ’40 Years Of Hits Tour’ To Australia With Special Guests ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK

Frontier Touring are delighted to welcome seminal Scottish band Simple Minds back to Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2020 as part of their 40 Years Of Hits Tour. They’ll be joined by special guests Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD), who will be touring the region for the first time in more than 30 years.

“It’s been said that Simple Minds has a love affair with Australia and I think that’s true.” – Jim Kerr, Simple Minds

In addition to their a day on the green outdoor concert series, Simple Minds will play Australian headline shows at Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena on Tuesday 1 December 2020 and at Sydney’s First State Super Theatre on Thursday 3 December 2020. In New Zealand, they’ll perform at Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena on Wednesday 9 December 2020 and Wellington’s TSB Arena on Friday 11 December 2020.

‘Kerr performs with the innate confidence of a frontman who knows he has a flotilla of showstoppers in reserve… The climax, inevitably, is the Atlantic-spanning hit ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ but even after more than two hours, Simple Minds sound like they are just getting started: an impressively energised feat.’ – The Guardian

The band are touring in celebration of 40: The Best Of – 1979-2019, a brand new 40-song collection marking their 40th anniversary. The compilation features a cover of Scottish singer-songwriter King Creosote’s ‘For One Night Only’.

Australia gave Simple Minds their first hit single in ‘Love Song’, and their first gold album, New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84). A string of awards and more unforgettable hits followed, including ‘Promised You A Miracle’, ‘Let There Be Love’, ‘Alive and Kicking’, ‘Sanctify Yourself’, ‘Belfast Child’ and the truly iconic ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, recorded for the unforgettable John Hughes film The Breakfast Club.

They’ve since gone on to sell more than 60 million albums over the last four decades, taking their rightful place as one of the great bands of their generation. Riding the wave of the post-punk era and taking cues from art-rock and early dance music, they deployed rousing choruses and booming atmospherics to provide a soundtrack that endures around the world today.

Simple Minds look back fondly on their time in Australia over the years, including their first ever shows here, with Icehouse in 1981:

“I cannot tell you how much fun we had during that six-week period,” Kerr says. “Going from nobodies to overnight success due to our appearance on Countdown. People were screaming for us to play encores. We’ve always had a wonderful bond with Australian audiences.”

Never ones to rest on their laurels, their shows only get better as time goes on:

“I’m grateful for the career we’ve had,” says Kerr, “but I’m mad enough to think we can still hit new levels.”

Joining Simple Minds at all shows are acclaimed UK avant-garde band Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD). Also celebrating their 40th anniversary, they’ll bring hits like ‘If You Leave’, famous for soundtracking iconic teen film Pretty In Pink, anti-war song ‘Enola Gay’, and other classics like ‘Souvenir’, ‘Electricity’, and ‘So In Love’.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see a truly monumental 40th anniversary performance from one of the most consistently excellent bands Scotland has ever produced, Simple Minds.

SIMPLE MINDS
40 YEARS OF HITS TOUR
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020
With special guests Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Presented by Frontier Touring, ARN (AU), The Sound (NZ) & The Breeze (NZ)

TELSTRA PLUS PRE-SALE (AU ONLY)
via Telstra.com/music
Runs 48 hours from: Tuesday 12 November (10am local time)
or until pre-sale allocation exhausted

Thursday 3 December 2020
First State Super Theatre | Sydney, NSW
All Ages
ticketek.com.au | Ph: 132 849

Saturday 5 December 2020 *
a day on the green | Bimbadgen | Hunter Valley, NSW *

Sunday 6 December 2020 
a day on the green | Sirromet Wines | Mount Cotton, QLD *

Wednesday 9 December 2020
Horncastle Arena | Christchurch, NZ
All Ages
ticketek.co.nz | Ph: 0800 842 538

Friday 11 December 2020
TSB Arena | Wellington, NZ
All Ages
ticketmaster.co.nz | Ph: 0800 111 999

Saturday 12 December 2020
a day on the green | Villa Maria Winery | Auckland, NZ **
All Ages
ticketmaster.co.nz | Ph: 0800 111 999
** Co-promote between Frontier Touring, a day on the green and Eccles

*Promoted by a day on the green/Roundhouse Entertainment – check here for details