Former Ultravox frontman Midge Ure and Band Aid co-founder returns to Scarborough
With a multi-faceted career covering a spectrum of genres, former Ultravox frontman and even one-time Thin Lizzy guitarist, new wave protagonist Midge Ure has held a unique and diverse role in British music over the past five decades.
That career has included glam-pop outfit Slik, The Rich Kids with Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, New Romantic band Visage with Steve Strange and Siouxsie and the Banshees guitarist John McGeoch, ultimately Ultravox, to various other collaborations and in more recent years as a prominent solo artist.
A cross section of his extensive musical output will be showcased in the repertoire of his forthcoming appearance at The Spa Grand Hall as part of a current 23-date tour of the UK.
A previous visit to Scarborough saw him perform solo in Alan Ayckbourn’s former theatre-in-the round at the Westwood School of Art & Design over two decades ago in 2003, a concert staged in conjunction with world music promoters Whitby MusicPort.
The sold-out gig was one of a series of events at the art school featuring a range of major artists that included Squeeze singer Glenn Tilbrook, Nine Below Zero, The Zombies, ex-Stranglers frontman Hugh Cornwell and The Pirates amongst others from 2001-4.
The original Ultravox! fronted by singer John Foxx, were a much-vaunted proto-punk band who appeared twice at the renowned former Penthouse rock club in St. Nicholas Street in both 1977 and 1978.
Midge Ure would replace Foxx, who had left to pursue a solo career in 1979.
In joining the remaining Ultravox members Billie Currie, Warren Cann and the late Christopher Cross, the addition of Ure would herald the revitalised band’s emergence as a leading keyboard-driven force in the early-mid 80’s new wave scene, exemplified in the band’s fourth LP Vienna.
Significantly, both as a musician and impresario he was also instrumental in the Band Aid (1984)/Live Aid (1985)/Live 8 (2005) charity projects, co-writing the ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’ single and co-organising the subsequent live concerts with Bob Geldof.
Emphasising his particular adept versatility, with the sudden departure of Gary Moore, Ure extraordinarily deputised as co-lead guitarist with Irish heavy metal band Thin Lizzy on their 1979 tour of the USA.
Collaborating again with Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, he co-wrote ‘Yellow Pearl’ which became the theme for the BBC’s Top of The Pops during the 1980’s.
Reforming in 2008, a resurgent Ultravox with the post-1979 line-up would result in both new material in the form of the band’s 11th LP Brilliant in 2012 and the band touring extensively until 2017.
Songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and singer, he is a highly influential and seemingly ubiquitous figure in the British music scene with an unrivalled and expansive career since the mid-1970s.
Midge Ure appears in Catalogue – The Hits Tour at The Spa Grand Hall on Thursday December 5 from 7.30pm.
Further details are available at scarboroughspa.co.uk.