SCOTS rocker Jim Kerr has begged organisers of a Nelson Mandela tribute concert to ask his band to play.

Kerr, 49, has issued a plea for Simple Minds to be added to the list of rock heroes who will celebrate Mandela's 90th birthday this summer.

Mandela will fly to London to watch stars like troubled singer Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis perform in London's Hyde Park.

The gig will take place on June 27. Razorlight, Eminem, Duffy, Keane, Sugababes and Jamelia are also set to appear on the bill.

Around 45,000 tickets for the show, priced from £65, will be sold using a Glastonbury-style online registration system.

But so far the phone hasn't rung for Kerr and co despite the Glasgow-born star being a key figure in the 1988 concert for Mandela's 70th birthday.

Kerr, who divides his time between his luxury bolthole in Sicily and a hectic touring schedule, said: "On the 27th of June this year yet another concert will take place in Hyde Park London celebrating the life of Mandela.

"As yet the full line up of the artists involved has yet to be announced but being the superstar politician that he is, I am sure that there will a queue of names anxious to be involved.

"It goes without saying then that if we are called on to take part in the upcoming tribute to Mandela that we will be there within a heartbeat."

Simple Minds were one of the first bands to agree to perform at the 70th birthday concert in tribute to Mandela who was still in a South African prison at the time.

But soon after they had pledged their support, well known names from the music business were queuing up to be added to the bill.

Kerr added: "How very different then from two decades ago when Jerry Dammers of the Specials AKA and Bishop Trevor Huddleston arrived at our then offices in Edinburgh, all set to plea with us to take part in their planned protest concert which aimed to draw attention to the iconic prisoner and leader, who had until then spent more than 25 years incarcerated and very much shut out from the world.

"I use the word plea as until that point they had been struggling to secure any so called big name acts.This was no mere charity concert after all.

"Nevertheless no plea was necessary as within seconds we confirmed that we would be honoured to take part.

"Apparently our decision also went some way in convincing Mark Knopfler and within hours Dire Straits confirmed that they would be on board.

"Jerry knew then that he would have a lot less trouble convincing others to turn up and that the concert would indeed take place.

"BBC television decided to broadcast and the concert indeed brought a huge international focus and immense pressure on politicians worldwide.

"I look back on taking part in the original freedom festival as one of the true highlights of our career as Simple Minds."