LIVE REVIEW: Simple Minds, Future Islands, KT Tunstall, Hamish Hawk, YES AND MAYBE, Glasgow Summer Sessions, Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, 27/06/2025
We were definitely spoiled tonight with no less than five bands taking to the stage, there are so many Simple Minds t-shirts on display from the different tours over the years with tonight being part of the 40th Anniversary tour of the release of 1985 album Once Upon A Time. The band were promising to play every track from that very album. This is also Simple Minds biggest UK show since 1991 when they played at Milton Keynes Bowl and Maine Road in Manchester, the old ground of Manchester City FC.
The Glasgow Summer Sessions events have been so organised, a five minute queue allowed us in nice and early for Glasgow band YES AND MAYBE taking to the stage at 5.15pm, they are a band we are familiar with after seeing them perform on 10th May at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut as part of The Road To The Great Escape. They may only have two songs released on the streaming services but they gave the crowd a good kickstart to the night with their sharp suits and melodic indie songs, Bloody Madness was released on the day of the show and God Isn’t Real was great to hear live again, a very enjoyable performance. 8/10
Next up we had Hamish Hawk as the park filled up nicely, we were lucky enough to get a spot down at the barrier. We saw Hamish Hawk supporting Travis back in December at the OVO Hydro so were familiar with their music. His stage presence is a joy to watch especially during the bizarrely titled Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion 1973, other songs that caught the eye were Big Cat Tattoos and Nancy Dearest, the guitarist was superb throughout and was a total showman. We need to see Hamish Hawk play a headline set now. 9/10
It’s been Scottish artists all the way so far and KT Tunstall joins that list as someone that needs little introduction having been an established act for years. Her support slot for Texas last year at the OVO Hydro was memorable and tonight was the same as KT played all the well-known hits alongside telling some very entertaining stories to keep the crowd interested. The forty-minute set flew by and we even had a cover of Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics which the crowd joined in with as KT refers to Annie Lennox as ‘the queen of Scotland’. Andy Burrows of Razorlight fame was on drums as he was last year, Andy and KT have some fun during their hit America as the battle it out on the vocals to see who gets the best crowd reaction … we think KT won! Tunstall’s biggest song Suddenly I See now has well over four hundred millions streams now and heading towards half a billion, the Scottish crowd will never tire of this song and it prompts a mass singalong moment. Superb. 9/10
This was our first time seeing USA band Future Islands but had heard vocalist Samuel T.Herring doesn’t hold back in his performances, we can confirm that is true, from first song King Of Sweden he struts around the stage in the rain showcasing his orthodox moves! This show is part of their People Who Aren’t There Anymore Tour named after the album of the same name released in 2024. The Tower is also from the same album and is one of the best of the set. Future Islands played Liverpool’s Eventim Olympia the following night then the Glastonbury Festival on Sunday so respect has to be given for those achievements. Seasons and A Dream Of You And Me were also very enjoyable to listen to. 9/10
Fresh from a recent tour of North America Simple Minds took to the stage at 9.15 and began the show with the timeless Waterfront, the bass from Ged Grimes could be felt thumping through my chest adding to the excitement, the crowd reaction is fantastic to the opening track, they are definitely up for this one tonight. Oh Jungleland is next up and the first of nine taken from the Once Upon A Time album, Come A Long Way and I Wish You Were Here were also played early on in between the excellent Glittering Prize. What a start to the show, the crowd are lapping it up! Vocalist Jim Kerr tells the story of never having set foot in Bellahouston Park in his life until today but what he forgot to mention is that the band played five minutes away at a sold out Ibrox Stadium way back in 1986 supported by The Waterboys and Lloyd Cole & The Commotions, fans still reminisce about that gig even today.
We now head back to 1982 and the New Gold Dream album for Someone Somewhere In Summertime, this is an absolute anthem and is screamed back to the stage by everyone around us with passion, a contender for the track of the set. Instrumental song Theme For Great Cities once again transports us back in time, the big hits keep on coming with Promised You A Miracle, All The Things She Said and See The Lights keeping everyone happy even though it is now raining. Drummer Cherisse Osei get her moment on the sticks as the band leave the stage to allow her to perform a drum solo that hits the spot before Don’t You (Forget About Me) begins, of course the song was made famous as part of The Breakfast Club movie and now sits at over ONE BILLION streams … unbelievable, the crowd singalong during this one is memorable. Sanctify Yourself ends the main set and the band get a deserved rapturous applause as they leave the stage.
The three songs in the encore are among the best of the night as Ghost Dancing from Once Upon a Time leads into Belfast Child, sadly the only one played from the Streetfighting Years album, tonight it hits hard as we think back to a different time in the last centuary. For those that had any energy left Alive And Kicking was an opportunity for one last singalong and we did ourselves proud one last time, ending a night of music that will live long in the memory. There are a few more shows for Simple Minds around the UK including Lincoln Castle and Southampton Summer Sessions, catch them if you can, you won’t be disappointed. 10/10
Written by: Alan Brown
