Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The return to home territory is always an occasion in which to celebrate is mandatory, it is a fixed point on a tour in which the special is perhaps rolled out with more vigour and aplomb, in which the music takes on a binding pact between artist and audience, in which the pubs and clubs that surround the arena are flowing with memories of where it all started and where it perhaps might find itself.

In the form of one of Scotland’s finest, Simple Minds, not only did the Hydro Arena take on a type of glow of the returning soldiers back from a war in which hearts and minds were once again forged in the white heat of lyrical excellence, but the extravaganza, the sense of the gala performance, was not lost on a large, outstanding and dedicated crowd, foaming at the mouth for something a little more than the norm and receiving it in abundance.

There is never a moment when starting a Simple Minds gig with the effortless charm, the pulse of a few thousand hearts, with Waterfront will ever become blasé or leaning into the world of the nonchalantly dismissed. It was a pulse that set the standard for the band to truly offer a gig in which to be honoured to be in attendance of.

For the audience at the Hydro, already in fine voice from their unexpected delve into the world of The Stranglers, this was perhaps the final chance of 2015 to stretch their lungs to the point of bursting as they heralded Jim Kerr and the band for all their worth.

With songs such as Up On The Catwalk, America, Promised You A Miracle, Glittering Prize, The Book of Brilliant Things and the ever implied truth that sits in the heart of Don’t You Forget About Me all taking the Glasgow crowd into the revelry that makes December such a memorable time for forgiveness and possible friendship.

Some nights are made for the homecoming kings to be lauded beyond anything else, for Simple Minds it was a night when reverence and admiration was high on the agenda and fulfilled with ease.

Ian D. Hall