CMP ENTERTAINMENT are proud to announce the first acts to sign up for the new look, Liverpool Summer Pops Festival in 2009.

Chas Cole, CMP Entertainment said “2009 is a very exciting year for the Liverpool Summer Pops, as we are rebranding as a festival. After eight successful years it’s been an incredible journey taking us from the big top to the arena but this year we plan to broaden the appeal of the Pops.

By also hosting fringe events throughout the month of July, we want to bring together different venues in the City and put on shows of different genres at places like, The Philharmonic, The Empire and The 02 Academy. We won’t be bringing just the big names to the Summer Pops Festival; we want to work from grass roots, with new home grown and international talent. We want to reinforce Liverpool’s title as a music city in July, just as Edinburgh is synonymous with it’s own festival in August.

We feel it’s important to build on the momentum from last year’s Capital of Culture, especially at a time when there is a feeling of an anti climax and the credit crunch. The Festival will encourage people to stay in the City and encourage visitors to come to Liverpool throughout July. The Liverpool Summer Pops Festival will become an event that encompasses rock, pop, blues, country and classical and not forgetting the yearly charity event, Beatles Day. In essence continuing the Capital of Culture theme of the music world in one City.”

The first Echo Arena Summer Pops Festival shows to be announced are, Simple Minds, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Jools Holland, Simply Red and Deacon Blue, all firm Pops favourites over the years. The first fringe show to be announced is The Lotus Eaters at The Philharmonic on Saturday 25th July.

Simple Minds will play the Echo Arena on Tuesday 21st July 2009. Tickets go on sale 9am on Friday 27th February 2009. “It’s a great pleasure for us to be coming back to the Liverpool Summer Pops and we’re looking forward to playing our first show at the Echo Arena,” said singer Jim Kerr.

Celebrating 30 Years live, Simple Minds will be performing songs from their classic album, ‘New Gold Dream,’ released in 1982, which includes the hits ‘Promised You a Miracle’ and ‘Glittering prize’ and their greatest hits set.

Described by The Scotsman newspaper as “one of the greatest live bands of all time”, Jim Kerr and co produced classic tracks like ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’, ‘Waterfront’, ‘Alive and Kicking’ and ‘Belfast Child’, which helped define eighties rock music, as they topped both the US and UK charts.

2008 saw them play to over a quarter of a million people during their sold out European/UK arena tour, and their performance at Nelson Mandela’s 90th Birthday concert in London’s Hyde Park, Simple Minds are about to enter the most prolific period within their extensive career with the highly anticipated brand new album ‘Graffiti Soul’ due for international release on May 25th by Universal Music Records label. It was recorded at Rockfield Studios, the first time they’ve been back there since recording ‘New Gold Dream.’