In 1985 Scottish rockers Simple Minds topped the Billboard 100 with ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, performing the song at Live Aid in Philadelphia the same year. In 1989 they reached No 1 in the UK with the single ‘Belfast Child’. With ten Top 10 UK albums, including four chart toppers, the band have sold over 60 million records over a glittering 40-year career. Heart of the Crowd is an official oral history of Simple Minds. With an introduction by lead singer and founder Jim Kerr, the book mixes fan anecdotes with stories from band members and other collaborators.

There are more than 800 memories, from the band’s formative years in the 1970s through to concerts in 2020. The stories combine with previously unseen fan photographs of the band in performance and examples of collectable memorabilia to make a fascinating and enjoyable read.

Simple Minds remain one of the biggest concert attractions in the world.

Richard Houghton is the author of over 20 books about music, specialising in people’s histories that tell the story of an act in the words of fans. He has compiled authorised ‘fanthologies’ on Jethro Tull, Simple Minds, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, The Stranglers, Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays), Fairport Convention, The Wedding Present and The Ukrainians. He lives in Manchester, UK.