Dundee’s Ged Grimes ready for ‘huge buzz’

Dundonian says city gig with Simple Minds will be ‘something special’

The Dundee bass player with rock icons Simple Minds says it will be a “huge buzz” for him to end the band’s Grandslam tour with an open air gig in his home city tomorrow night.

In an exclusive interview with The Courier, Ged Grimes, 56, said it is great to see so much “positivity” going on in the city and it would be a “real privilege” for him to play Slessor Gardens in front of the soon-to-be-opened V&A.

On Tuesday it will be exactly eight years since the former St Saviour’s High School pupil and Danny Wilson member joined Simple Minds. The Minds have been touring for months with The Pretenders and St Andrews-raised singer-songwriter KT Tunstall.

However, the biggest challenge he’s had with the tour’s finale in Dundee, he reveals, has been finding space on his guest list. “It’s been an absolute nightmare!” he laughed.

“As you can imagine, my mum has insisted in coming. She’s 82. I’m like: ‘it’s a long night’. She’s like: ‘I’m there, get me a seat’. She will literally be in the front row – although I’m not sure about the mosh pit!”

Ged said it had been “magic” to be on tour with KT Tunstall. The 43-year-old former Dundee High School pupil worked with Simple Minds on an acoustic project last year, and touring came about as a result.

“We’ve had such a brilliant time with her,” added Ged. “She’s such a vibe. The real deal. Great voice, great songs but also just in terms of being on the road with people for a long time, her wit – she’s funny as well.”

He’s also full of praise for The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hind – Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr’s ex-wife – who has been “singing like she was 19” throughout the tour.

But despite Simple Minds being founded by Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill in Glasgow more than 40 years ago, Ged said they’ve always had a “soft spot” for Dundee.

He also points out that, ironically, he’s now been in Simple Minds for longer than he was in Danny Wilson.

“It goes way back to Simple Minds playing Dundee in the early days, at the university, supporting Peter Gabriel in the early 1980s,” he said. “So we have a lot of banter on the tour bus – I do get the p*** taken out of me because I am officially a ‘Dundee Ambassador!’ I’m bigging up the city all the time!

“But for this weekend, really, for me it’s just the culmination of seeing all the positivity that’s going on.

“Just to be looking out over the Tay – hopefully as the sun goes down with a local crowd – it’ll be something special. I just hope the weather holds!”

“Just to be looking out over the Tay – hopefully as the sun goes down with a local crowd – it’ll be something special. GED GRIMES

Home bass: Simple Minds bassist Ged Grimes cannot wait to play a gig in his native Dundee.