Midge Ure stands as both architect and agitator, a restless force who reshaped the scaffolding of synth-driven rock. At the helm of Ultravox, he ignited a revolution in electropop, his fingerprints pressed deep into the circuitry of anthems that still burn decades on. His tenure with Visage conjured neon-lit noir, while a stint with Thin Lizzy proved his range stretched far beyond the cold glow of synthesizers. He wielded music as a means to mend, co-writing Do They Know It’s Christmas?, a charity juggernaut still echoing through the decades. Band Aid, Live Aid, Live 8…monuments to music’s power to summon change, each bearing Ure’s mark.
Now, ever in motion, Midge Ure readies himself for another transatlantic trek, launching at Cruel World Fest on May 17, flanked by his Band In A Box…aka longtime keyboard sidekick Charlie Round Turner on guitar and synth.
“Having seen most of my musician friends play Cruel World I was feeling a little ‘left out,” he admits. “But with the success of my Band in a Box Tour of North America last year I felt this was the right performance format and the perfect time to step up and play some of those Ultravox, Visage and solo tunes.”
Midway through a relentless global tour, he’s set to bring his legend back to North America after traversing Belgium, Holland, Germany, Scandinavia, South Africa, and Dubai.
“I’m far from resting on my laurels,” jokes Ure. “I’m nervous and excited…but especially looking forward to performing at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena. A few friends and contemporaries have played there before, and tell me great things. A great chance for listeners of Kroq and 91x from the old days to hear some of the songs those cutting edge stations used to play.”
Recently, Midge Ure marked seventy years of life with a night carved in memory, a concert not merely played but lived, breathed, and burned into the rafters of the Royal Albert Hall. On October 4, 2023, the iconic venue swelled with the echoes of a lifetime, a one-night celebration stretching across decades, a journey told in chords and choruses. Ure stood at the helm, flanked by Band Electronica.
The evening unfurled in a frenzy of synths and strings, with the Vienna album performed in full, every passage brimming with the weight of time and the charge of something still electric. Special guests Caroline Dale, the cellist whose bow has traced the works of Peter Gabriel, David Gilmour, and Sinéad O’Connor, and composer Ty Unwin, Ure’s collaborator on Orchestrated, added depth, urgency, and raw elegance to the revelry. It was captured in a live album: Midge Ure Royal Albert Hall 04.10.23.
“This album was never meant to happen,” says Ure. “The restrictions involved when playing a prestigious venue like the Royal Albert Hall were so great that recording audio or video was out of the question, or so I thought. Modern mixing desks have the capability to multitrack record these days so we tend to record most shows, so finding out we had a recording of that magical evening was a relief. A deal was struck with the venue and this is the result. A little moment captured forever.”
Listen below:
Ure is now working on three albums including a follow-up to Fragile, an Orchestrated Pt. 2 in addition to a totally instrumental album.
Following his Cruel World appearance, Ure will be making his way across the US and Canada in a tour hitting San Francisco, Denver, NY, Philly and Mississauga. Midge Ure is also hosting his Backstage Lockdown Club, giving fans exclusive access to a series of intimate, musical events on a monthly subscription basis.
Tour Dates:
- May 17 – Pasadena, CA – Cruel World Fest
- May 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
- May 19 – Denver , CO – Oriental Theater
- May 21 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House
- May 22 New York, NY – Sony Hall
- May 23 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery
- May 24 – Mississauga, ON, Canada – Classic Bowl
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