the five thirty show

16 April 2009, 19:12

Simple Minds front man Jim Kerr provided a tour of Glasgow where he revisited his childhood haunts where it all began for the Scottish rock star.

Kerr grew up in the high rises of Toryglen in the 1970s and attended Holyrood Secondary School where he formed Simple Minds with fellow pupils Charlie Burchill and Brian McGhee.

The school also has such alumni as Texas founder Johnny McElhone and Travis singer Fran Healy.

The area around Toryglen flats provided Kerr and his friends with playing fields and the glen itself where the river and waterfall appealed to their adventurous side as Kerr would dive from the highest point into the river below.

Growing up in Toryglen had another benefit for the football daft Kerr. It was located right next door to Scotland’s national stadium, Hampden Park.

“Simple Minds were able to play in Cardiff, Wembley Arena and we’ve played in football stadiums all over the world. Italy, Spain, South America, but Hampden as yet has never happened, but we live in hope,” admitted Kerr. 

The Citizen Theatre in Glasgow’s Gorbals provided the culture in Kerr’s life and also played a part in his career as the front man in a rock band.

“The way I think [the actors] influenced us is that they showed us how to play to a crowd and they showed us what it meant to entertain a crowd,” he said.

Last updated: 15 October 2009, 12:49