Simple Minds have announced their new album Sacrosanct, due for release on 29 January 2027, alongside their biggest arena tour to date with Gary Numan joining the UK and European dates as special guest.
The eight-track album follows 2022’s Direction Of The Heart and marks the latest chapter in a creative partnership between frontman Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill that has now lasted almost five decades.
The band will begin the Simple Minds V Tour 2027 in Australia and New Zealand in February before heading to Europe and the UK in April and May. Their biggest UK headline show will take place at Manchester’s Co-op Live on 7 May.
Simple Minds describe Sacrosanct as a deeply personal album
Kerr and Burchill began developing the material for Sacrosanct while touring, with the band’s recent run of sold-out shows helping shape the direction of the record.
The group’s 2025 North American dates were particularly influential. Audiences responding strongly to early Simple Minds songs such as “Sons And Fascination” encouraged Kerr and Burchill to revisit the art-rock and new-wave influences of their early work.
Kerr said the album’s title reflects how central songwriting has become to the pair’s lives.
“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.”
The band regard Sacrosanct as the final instalment of a trilogy that began with Walk Between Worlds and continued with Direction Of The Heart.
Kerr added:
“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.”
Beginner Boys leads the new Simple Minds album
The first track from Sacrosanct is “Beginner Boys”, inspired by Kerr watching his twin grandsons grow up and considering changing ideas around masculinity.
The song explores whether qualities including strength, tenderness, courage and gentleness can coexist, with Burchill’s guitar providing the track’s distinctive melodic character.
Elsewhere, the album moves through mythology, memory and the long relationship between Kerr and Burchill.
“Elysium” opens the record with an apparent nod to Magazine, while “King Of The Underworld” draws on the character of Mephistopheles.
“Jerusalem (State Of Mind)” references William Blake’s vision of a better society, while “Our Secrets Are The Same” turns inward, focusing on the friendship between Kerr and Burchill.
The pair first met on a Glasgow street as teenagers and have continued writing and performing together for around 50 years.
“Songs” provides the album’s most overtly pop-focused moment, exploring the emotional connection people have with music.
The final two tracks take contrasting approaches to nostalgia. “Alive In This Moment” encourages listeners to remain focused on the present, while “The Next Right Thing” reflects on ageing, passing time and losing people along the way.
Simple Minds announce biggest arena tour with Gary Numan
The new album will be followed by the Simple Minds V Tour 2027, which the band are billing as their biggest arena tour to date.
The tour opens in Australia and New Zealand in February before moving to Europe and the UK in April and May.
Gary Numan will join Simple Minds as a special guest on the tour, bringing together two influential acts associated with British electronic and new-wave music.
The biggest UK headline date is scheduled for Manchester’s Co-op Live on 7 May 2027.
Fans who pre-order Sacrosanct by 8 September 2026 will receive access to the UK ticket presale. General sale begins at 9.30am on 11 September.
Full tour dates are available through the band’s official website.
Simple Minds to headline BBC Radio 2 In The Park
Before the 2027 tour begins, Simple Minds will headline the Sunday night of BBC Radio 2’s In The Park at City Park in Stirling, Scotland, on 13 September 2026.
The performance will give fans an opportunity to hear the band live before the release of Sacrosanct and their extensive 2027 touring schedule.
The new album arrives after an unusually active period for Simple Minds, which has included a career-spanning documentary, a joint memoir and the band’s largest audiences since the mid-1980s.
According to the band, their Global Tour reached more than 1.5 million fans, setting the stage for another major chapter with Sacrosanct.
Simple Minds Sacrosanct tracklist
- Elysium
- King Of The Underworld
- Beginner Boys
- Jerusalem (State Of Mind)
- Our Secrets Are The Same
- Songs
- Alive In This Moment
- The Next Right Thing
