TUESDAY night at the BIC was a complete sell-out for the return of Scottish Rockers Simple Minds.

Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchell, the two original members, have expanded the line-up to a seven piece with Sarah Brown providing a solid backing and sharing lead vocals occasionally,

Cherisse Osei on drum duties and new keyboard player Erik Ljunggren.

The balance of youth and experience has provided the band with new enthusiasm and some youthful edge.

Before continuing, I must mention the support band, Del Amitri.

Sadly, their singer, Justin Currie, recently announced that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

It was great to see him still performing and looking well although he swapped his bass and guitar with the other original band member, Iain Harvie, making it easier to move around.

They left the stage after eight wonderful songs to a resounding ovation.

The anticipation built as the lights dimmed and the drum roll started.

The lights came up and Simple Minds were on stage and straight into a massive number, Waterfront.

This could have been saved for later in case the atmosphere was flagging, but the barnstorming opening was simply one performance peak among many others.

The crowd were singing and clapping from the start and just carried on throughout!

Jim Kerr proved what a star he is, prowling the stage with his own rock star moves and extorting the crowd to make noise and just join in.

The dazzling lights and the uplifting music then took us time-travelling back to the eighties for almost two hours.

Following on, Love Song and Sweat in Bullet from 1981’s Sons and Fascination took us back to the very early days.

The band then sucked us in further with All the things She Said from 1985.

Sarah Brown featured here and showed us exactly why she was there.

In addition to listening to her stunning vocals, she has a stage presence which demanded we watch her perform.

After a couple of more recent tracks, including Solstice Kiss, along came Once Upon A Time, from the album of the same name.

It appeared every track was an audience pleaser or arena anthem.

Jim joked about not worrying if no one knew what the newer songs were, although I could see the real fans were familiar with every song!

Three tracks from the New Gold Dream album followed.

Glittering Prize, Promised You A Miracle and New Gold Dream followed.

I wasn’t sure if it was just nostalgia, but I was convinced these songs sounded just as relevant and exciting as when I heard them originally in 1982.

The band arrangements were crisp and fresh, with Jim’s vocals outstandingly clear. Not once was I struggling to hear lyrics, or trying to separate instruments from the overall sound.

The band left the stage after New Gold Dream for a drum solo, which can be a bar-moment for a lot of people, but I really enjoy a solo that is structured and truly demonstrates musicianship.

Osei’s drum solo was exactly what I wanted to hear and captivated me with the way she built up to a climax, with enthusiastic applause.

The band returned for their only UK No.1, Belfast Child, with its mournful lyrics and slower pace, which meant so much at the time. Jim showed that he can sing emotionally with a soft expressive voice as well as belt out the anthems.

Finishing the main set with Someone, Somewhere in Summertime and a rousing Don’t You (Forget About Me), the show was over all too soon.

The demanded encore brought the band back for three more songs and gave an opportunity for backing singer, Sarah Brown, to also sing Amazing Grace solo.

The final two songs sealed the deal for me and were definitely my evening favourites.

Alive and Kicking and Sanctify Yourself finally brought the show to a tumultuous ending, making yet more memories for their diehard fans.