Simple Minds & Birds of Tokyo to play Newcastle 500

Simple Minds and Birds of Tokyo are confirmed to play the Newcastle 500 Supercars.

They play No.1 Sportsground on Saturday, November 24, presented by KOFM Newcastle.

It will be the only Australian appearance by Simple Minds, the Scottish band best known for Promised You A Miracle, Belfast Child, Love Song and Don’t You (Forget About Me).

It will mark the end of their Walk Between Worlds tour which takes them across Europe, Mexico, Canada and the US.

“The concert stage is where Simple Minds do their best work, we give 100% of ourselves every night, so Simple Minds are delighted to be coming back to Australia to perform at this event,” Simple Minds’ singer Jim Kerr said.

“We’ll be playing songs from throughout our extensive catalogue, going right back to the start and bringing it all up to date.”

Before appearing in Newcastle, Birds of Tokyo appears at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games in an ABC TV broadcast to millions in 18 countries around the world.

Supercar races around the country have used major names, Australian and international, to draw younger crowds.

The inaugural Newcastle 500 weekend last year included a Friday night performance by Delta Goodrem and a Saturday night concert featuring Cold Chisel which attracted an estimated 20,000 people.

This year the entertainment has been condensed to one day and moved to nearby No.1 Sportsground so local dining and shopping retail can benefit from the influx of visitors.