words + photos by Erik Casarez
Simple Minds
I accept the fact that I sacrificed the majority of my adolescent life questioning if 80s music was not good, but I think it’s crazy that I never took the time to write an article about three bands that embodied the essence of the decade, live, to see how they really are. I saw them as I wanted to see them, in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions, but what I found out on the night of May 30, is that each one of them is a post-punk turned new wave rock band with a raw energy of sound that extends beyond their biggest hit “Melt With You,” a synth-pop duo that threads the line of early industrial with a disco-era fanaticism on levels ahead of their cover of Gloria Jones’ “Tainted Love,” and a power pop rock band whose discography envelops multiple decades of consistent high fidelity even after their apex of everyone’s favorite Breakfast Club outro “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Does that answer my younger self’s question?
Simple Minds, Soft Cell, and Modern English played to a packed show of multiple generations on Friday, May 30, at the Moody Center. Four decades after their heyday, all three bands were on top of their game, each saving their biggest hits for the end of their set as they tore through their vast catalog of songs. The crowd was electric as they danced and sang along to even the deeper cuts, and the bands each fed off that energy. This did not feel like the type of tour where you feel lucky just to cross these legendary acts off your list, but rather was a show that left you entertained through and through.
Modern English
It can be difficult to disassociate each of these bands with their biggest hits if you haven’t seen them live. Modern English hit things off with a rousing set that got the crowd going as they trickled in. At just about thirty minutes, they drove through a set with some of their harder-edged songs like “Gathering Dust” and “Hands Across the Sea” but still found time to close with their biggest hit, “Melt With You.”
Soft Cell
Soft Cell, on the other hand, came in with a full-on dance party opening with the percussive early industrial bop “Memorabilia.” They interpolated bits of Madonna songs that really got the crowd going. Of course, they finished their set with “Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go,” a song that has become so synonymous with the band that many people forget it’s a cover.
Simple Minds
To close the night, Simple Minds tore through a killer set of rock songs that transcended everything I thought I knew about the band. While the entire band brought their A-game, the biggest standout was the so-called “baby” of the group, Cherisse Osei, on drums. Being born a year after their biggest hit didn’t stop her from stealing the spotlight throughout the set. Like some kind of secret weapon, the band took a slight intermission while Cherisse slayed on a killer drum solo for several minutes. I unfortunately had to leave before their encore, but stayed long enough to catch half of “Don’t You (Forget About Me).”
Simple Minds
The song played as I walked through the seating doors into the corridor of the Moody Center, and I fought every urge in my body to throw my fist in the air triumphantly and have a freeze frame moment a la John Bender from the closing scene of The Breakfast Club. A show like this may not have been as life-changing as a morning in detention in 1985, but it has forever changed how I feel about these three bands. Not even a letter to my younger self could truly capture the experience of seeing these bands live, but this is definitely a show I will never forget.