Originally published by L.S. Media. December 7th 2008.

It might come as a bit of a shock to find there is still a musician of note, who shuns the bigger arenas and is quite happy by playing songs that matter to him and his legion of fans in some of the more intimate venues around the country. Midge Ure has been, musically, through it all. Whether from his early days in the band Silk, the heady days of the New Romantic phase that swept Britain in the early to mid eighties with Ultravox and then as a solo artist whose voice has swept all before him.

Midge Ure came on stage to eager applause and it seemed to slightly embarrass him but that brief moment of seeming vulnerability soon gave way as he opened up a excellent night of music with Love’s Great Adventure and the vocally stunning The Voice.

One of the benefits of just appearing on stage with a string guitar and nothing else to distract you is that you can play the songs at a very basic level, which was proved so well by Midge Ure as he played one of the New Romantics era signature tunes, Visage’s Fade to Grey on which he collaborated and as Midge Ure himself designated one of the most beautiful songs ever written, Peter Green’s (of Fleetwood Mac fame) Man of the World.

The former Ultravox front man found time to blast the local council for it’s alleged plan to close Pacific Road as a venue. Quite rightly as there are not that many venues that can cope with or cater for the likes of Midge Ure, especially with the Cabaret style nights that Pacific Road offer.

Amongst songs played on the night were the very bitter Lied, Spielberg Sky and a cover of the song made famous by the Walker Brothers, Tom Rush’s No Regrets.

Midge Ure finished the main set with Ultravox’s finest hour Vienna and Dancing With Tears in My Eyes. Hard to believe that both these songs could be deconstructed down so well that you don’t miss all the pomp and electronic gadgetry that surrounded them.

Midge Ure came back on stage to huge applause from the audience, grinning sheepishly as he closed the night with his number one solo hit If I Was and the song that cemented his reputation, not only as a singer/songwriter but as a humanitarian with Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Midge Ure remains to this day a man whose guitar playing ability and vocal range make him not only the ‘musician’s musician’ but a superb act to catch live.

Ian D. Hall