Simple Minds Reveal Sacrosanct and Confirm Gary Numan Tour

Simple Minds have revealed that their forthcoming studio record will be called Sacrosanct, with singer Jim Kerr explaining that creating music now feels “closer to faith” than simply doing a job.

Scheduled to arrive on January 29, 2027, the album comes after a remarkably busy chapter for the band. Following the release of Direction of the Heart in 2022, they debuted a documentary covering their entire career, released a shared memoir recognised by several “Books of the Year” lists, and played for over 1.5 million people during their Global Tour, attracting their largest crowds since the middle of the 1980s. Inspired by the energy of those packed concerts, Jim and guitarist Charlie Burchill started shaping the songs that eventually formed Sacrosanct.

The band’s 2025 performances across North America had a particularly strong impact on the project. Watching audiences in unfamiliar cities enthusiastically embrace earlier material such as Sons and Fascination motivated Jim and Charlie to reconnect with their art rock and new wave beginnings, which can be heard across the record’s eight tracks.

Beginner Boys, the first song shared from the album, came from Jim observing his twin grandsons as they grew and considering how masculinity is understood today. He explained that the track examines how “strength, tenderness, courage and gentleness might still belong together,” with Charlie’s glowing guitar work bringing an uplifting quality to the song.

Throughout the album, Jim and Charlie examine mythology, personal memories and the creative bond they have maintained for decades. Opening track Elysium pays tribute to Magazine, while King of the Underworld takes inspiration from Mephistopheles. Jerusalem (State of Mind) is influenced by William Blake’s hopes for a more meaningful world, while Our Secrets Are the Same looks closely at Jim and Charlie’s relationship, beginning when they met as children on a Glasgow street and continuing as they write music together 50 years later. Songs provides the album’s strongest pop moment and celebrates the deep emotional influence music can have.

Final numbers Alive in This Moment and The Next Right Thing approach nostalgia in contrasting ways. The former encourages people to appreciate the present, while the latter considers the passage of time and those who are no longer with us.

Discussing the meaning behind the record’s name, Jim explained: “We called the album Sacrosanct because after a lifetime of doing this - nearly 50 years of writing songs together - it’s stopped feeling like a career and started feeling like something closer to faith.”

Simple Minds consider the project to be the concluding chapter of a trilogy that also includes Walk Between Worlds and Direction of the Heart.

Jim continued: “Making records and performing live is as much part of our lives now as when we started out. We feel grateful to those who support new music from Simple Minds and look forward to seeing you all on our upcoming world tour.”

Simple Minds have also revealed plans for an extensive tour featuring Gary Numan as their special guest.

The Don't You Forget About Me performers are preparing to launch the largest arena tour of their career so far.

Named The Simple Minds V Tour 2027, the run will begin in Australia and New Zealand in February before moving through Europe and the UK during April and May. Their largest headline concert in the UK will take place at Manchester's Co-op Live on May 7.

Supporters who pre-order Sacrosanct before September 8 will receive access to the UK pre-sale. General ticket sales will begin at 9.30am on September 11.

Ahead of the tour, Simple Minds will top the Sunday night lineup at BBC Radio 2’s In The Park, held at City Park in Stirling, Scotland, on September 13.

Visit simpleminds.com to see the complete schedule of tour dates.

Sacrosanct tracklist:

1. Elysium
2. King Of The Underworld
3. Beginner Boys
4. Jerusalem (State Of Mind)
5. Our Secrets Are The Same
6. Songs
7. Alive In This Moment
8. The Next Right Thing