Scottish rockers Simple Minds to headline Gibbston concert

The Scottish rock band responsible for the hit 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' is headlining the Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert in February.

Simple Minds will take to the stage at the popular annual event supported by Texas, Collective Soul and Pseudo Echo.

In a statement today announcing the lineup of international acts, event organiser Greenstone Entertainment says next year's event will have plenty of rock favourites from the 80's and 90's.

Simple Minds has sold 60 million records worldwide, with 15 hits in the 1980s reaching the New Zealand Top 50 singles charts - 'Waterfront' stayed there for 13 weeks.

Fellow Scottish rockers Texas, fronted by founding member Sharleen Spitiri, are fresh from the 2023 Glastonbury stage, where Greenstone Entertainment says they played to rave reviews - despite most their big hits coming in the late 80s and the 90s.

Then there's Collective Soul, with 90's hits 'The World I Know', 'Shine' and 'December', and Aussies Pseudo Echo, well-known this side of the ditch for 'Funky Town', which stayed in the number one spot on the Kiwi charts for 19 weeks in 1987.

The Gibbston concert is set for Saturday, February 3 - the Saturday before Waitangi Tuesday.

Greenstone Entertainment chief executive Amanda Calvert says it's perfect "for those who want to make a long Waitangi weekend of it”.

The southern concert is part of a three-show nationwide tour that will kick off in late January, finishing up in Queenstown.

First up will be a show in Taupō, followed by a show in Hamilton, a first for the series after the organiser was forced to ditch its usual venue at Coromandel's Whitianga due to highway damage from Cyclone Gabrielle.

General tickets are $159 plus a booking fee and are on sale from Friday, July 21, with some pre-sales available from Wednesday, July 19 at www.greenstoneentertainment.co.nz.

Main image: Facebook/Simple Minds