Interesting that Mr Kerr was talking about the positives of live music in a post yesterday. Talking about AI and money spent to appear human – I’ll bite my tongue until it bleeds …. the irony being it was a glorified plug for their shows, written for Jim – I mean they may have been his words, of course, but these words are now being posted on his behalf. So as I say, a bit ironic. Hey-ho.
Anyway, the (tenuous) ‘true’ gist of the post on SM FB was to get people enthusiastic about that ‘real’ connection – people bonding over the shared experience of the thrill of live music. That is definitely something I can get behind, albeit delivered through the VERY thinly veiled plea of “Please come and see us! Buy tickets to our shows, especially in America. PLEASE!!!”
If there is anything that I take away from my decade of ardent Simple Minds fandom it is the absolute love of live music that Jim Kerr did switch me on to. Those two things remain undiminished for me – the early musical brilliance of Simple Minds as a band. “Diddy” songs FTW – every day of the week. Nothing will convince me otherwise. There is NOTHING they can do, or have done in the past 20 odd years that has even come close to getting anywhere NEAR that. They can claim all the “mirrors the style of 1979’s Real to Real Cacophony” and “a dreamer’s conversation with a distant muse – that muse being Aretha Franklin as sung by Sarah Brown” all they like in relation to ‘Your Name In Lights.’ It’s pie in the sky, pal! Do you want a bit more baloney for your rye? Jeez-o!
Early 80s, the undisputed pinnacle of Simple Minds. That’s the number one take-away from my time deep within my ardour. Number two is that love of live music that wasn’t really something I had at all but Kerr’s tireless enthusiasm for it eventually worked its magic upon me. Firstly through experiencing Simple Minds themselves a number of times and then slowly branching out and building it up by enjoying gigs and catching that live music bug elsewhere. If I can take anything away from ever having “conversed” and interacted/engaged with the SM frontman it’ll be this lasting legacy.
So, yes. While the cynical, bitchy side of me that is still quite raw and sadly to my detriment (I am working hard to move on and let sleeping dogs lie) still feels embittered about the recent past – I remain forever thankful that he opened up my horizons to just how fantastic the live music experience can be.
It comes with conditions/criteria. The most important of which means that (with other reasons aside) Simple Minds are unlikely to be much on my future gig-going schedule. And well, from the way the discourse is going within the Simple Minds camp in this regard, there isn’t much time left running for the continuing touring schedule. We are, seemingly, currently in the final “5-year plan.”
As I said to Monsieur Kerr back in 2023 when he was extolling the virtues of a Peter Gabriel concert (a man who some time ago seemed to allude to the notion of being pro-AI, interestingly enough) – I want to support the up-and-coming and grassroots as much as I can. If supporting burgeoning artists and bands means there is a mutually beneficial result, i.e. I get to see great live music, I get to write gig reviews on my blog and perhaps generate more interest in those bands and artists – helping them to build up their profile, it’s a win-win, right? It also benefits the venues. Continuing ‘bums on seats’ or ‘feet on floors.’
This is why yesterday I decided to jump on an early bird ticket for this year’s Stag and Dagger. I haven’t been since 2021. I wanted to go last year as Hamish Hawk was the headline act but I left buying a ticket too late and couldn’t justify the full cost of a ticket. Plus it was a few weeks before the end of the academic year, I was writing the book….yeah. This year I didn’t want to lose out. I wanted to take advantage of the discounted early bird ticket. I’ve no idea who is on the bill, but there has always been someone I want to see. I’ve never bought into a thing like this where I’ve purchased a ticket without even knowing who is on the bill before. I am dead excited!
We really need to support events like the Stag and Dagger! This year it seems to only be happening in Glasgow and not in Edinburgh. I don’t know whether since its inception it has always been held in both cities – it certainly was in both Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2021 because I went to the Edinburgh one as Warm Digits were only playing in Edinburgh. This will be my first time going to the Glasgow S&D. The artists/bands on the bill will be announced later today. I am sssoooo excited to see who’s going to be on the bill!
One downside I have seen is that one of the main venues for last year’s S&D, Broadcast, is closed due to flooding that happened in the late summer last year. Another venue that was used last year called The Attic also seems to have closed – seemingly permanently. This is why going to see music at venues like these is ssoo important! On the plus side – the currently closed CCA is due to reopen on 1 April, having been closed since December. The venue received a much needed funding boost which enabled its closure to be only a temporary measure.
My list of upcoming gigs keeps growing. I want to experience as many live shows as I possibly can this year. And this is why I am off to see Hamish yet again in Edinburgh this Saturday. Three shows on this tour hasn’t been enough in all honesty. I’m dreading the long wait until the end of June after the Usher Hall gig. Not only that – but the fact that he’ll be first on the bill means that much like seeing him support Travis at the Hydro before Christmas, he’ll be lucky if he’s on for half an hour. He’ll make the most of it, but it’ll be gone in the blink of an eye!
March is filled with more comedy than music, but it’s still something live and still something that supports the comedians. I am mostly attending WIP shows. Someone has to be willing to be a participant in comics road-testing their material and I’m definitely up for that. In addition to that, new to the list is another “I have been wanting to see them for YEARS” comedy show to tick off. The Glasgow International Comedy Festival ran a promo last Tuesday – a “2 for 1” on tickets. Any show through the whole run of the festival you could grab as a “2 for 1” purchase. There was only one thing for it! I knew that Fern Brady had been a late addition to the programme and I have been wanting to see her for bloody yonks! I checked the website. Good tickets available. YES PLEASE! Bam! Five minutes later – done! And I’m still pinching myself that I have been waiting YEARS to see both her and Craig Ferguson and I get to see THE BOTH OF THEM – THIS YEAR!!
So….what’s the point of this post? I don’t actually know! Other than it being some skewed kind of thank you to Mr Kerr for giving me that impetus to go beyond just wanting to see Simple Minds and go to as many gigs as I can moderately afford each and every year while the mind and body is able and tentatively willing.
Beyond going to live shows, I am broadening my musical horizons as well. Seeking out new bands and new artists and seeing if it’s affordable to go and see them, if they’re coming to Glasgow or Edinburgh. If the stars align and it can be done, I’ll go. And keep going.
For the thrill of it all…