SIMPLY RED ‘HOLDING BACK THE YEARS: 40 YEARS OF SIMPLY RED, LIVE IN SANTIAGO’

Artiest/Band: Simply Red Album: Holding Back The Years: 40 Years Of Simply Red, Live In Santiago Release: June 26th 2026 Label: V2 Records Format:  CD/LP/Digital Genre: Pop/Rock/Soul Originally released in cinemas last year, it captures five sold-out shows at the Movistar Arena in Santiago which were attended by 75,000 people. The performance lives up to the occasion, with Mick Hucknall’s voice as soulful, powerful and full of emotion as ever while the band’s stellar musicianship brings every nuance of the original recordings to life

 

SIMPLY RED ‘HOLDING BACK THE YEARS: 40 YEARS OF SIMPLY RED, LIVE IN SANTIAGO’ A LIVE FILM, ALBUM AND BOX SET - OUT JUNE 26TH

Last year saw Simply Red celebrate four decades of classic hits and timeless music by embarking upon a 40th anniversary world tour that saw them perform to a total of more than a million fans. Now the band document the most unforgettable tour in their history with the release of the multi-format ‘Holding Back the Years: 40 Years of Simply Red, Live in Santiago’ on June 26th. It is launched alongside the audio and video for the live version of ‘Something Got Me Started’.

Originally released in cinemas last year, it captures five sold-out shows at the Movistar Arena in Santiago which were attended by 75,000 people. The performance lives up to the occasion, with Mick Hucknall’s voice as soulful, powerful and full of emotion as ever while the band’s stellar musicianship brings every nuance of the original recordings to life.

The setlist is a hit-packed crowd-pleaser, taking in ‘Stars’, ‘Holding Back The Years’, ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’, ‘Something Got Me Started’, ‘Fairground’ and many more. And the Santiago crowd live up to their reputation by taking the atmosphere to fever pitch throughout, bringing an electrifying energy to the up-tempo numbers as well as almost hymnal singing to the ballads.

This release differs from the original theatrical version. It presents the live show uninterrupted from start-to-finish, with the in-depth interview footage of Mick Hucknall exploring the band’s history moved to the DVD / Blu-ray bonus features. It was directed by Dan Massie (Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sam Fender),and produced by Electric Light Studios in conjunction with Rippla and SimplyRed.com.

Mick Hucknall says, “We had a wonderful time performing in Santiago at the Movistar Arena, celebrating 40 years of Simply Red with all the fans who came out to see us. It was a truly special few shows and we’re very excited to have the opportunity now to share it with our fans globally. We hope you enjoy reliving the experience of Simply Red live from the comfort of your own home!"

‘Holding Back the Years: 40 Years of Simply Red, Live in Santiago’ is now available to pre-order HERE. The 4-disc artbook set features the 2CD audio from the show, a DVD and a Blu-ray of the film in a must-have package which is completed by a 48-page book of photography from the 40th anniversary tour. It is also available as a standalone 2CD set, a DVD and Blu-ray package, and a marbled yellow triple-vinyl complete with a 12-page booklet. The band’s official store offers an exclusive transparent blue triple-vinyl format which features an alternate album cover

The original film will receive its first broadcast on BBC Two at 10.15pm on Saturday, May 9th. It will be preceded at 8.45pm by revisiting some classic performances from the archives with ‘Simply Red At The BBC’.

Emerging from the modest working classic suburbs of Manchester in 1985, Simply Red put a fresh spin on influences from the worlds of Philly soul, Motown and classic R&B. They quickly became of the UK’s biggest bands, with a #1 single (‘Fairground’), nine more Top 10 singles, five #1 albums and another ten records that hit the Top 10. Acclaim emerged in tandem, including three BRIT Awards, two Ivor Novellos, and the MOBO Award for Outstanding Achievement. 1991’s ‘Stars’ was a real landmark. It became the UK’s top selling album in both 1991 and 1992, spending a total of 12 weeks at #1, and reaching a staggering 12 x Platinum status.

They proved to be similarly impactful in North America with two #1 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100, multiple Platinum or Gold certified albums, and three Grammy nominations. Further afield, they’ve climbed the charts everywhere from Iceland to Australia. That global popularity was underlined throughout the 40th anniversary tour, with almost 50 arena shows spanning the UK, Europe and Latin America.

 For more information contact Stefan.Hayes@V2benelux.com

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