Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

It might feel as if you are living in the worst of times, the 2016 American Presidential race has descended arguably into a farce, the world is teetering on the edge once more of red buttons being nervously shifted over and citizens wondering just how far the leaders of the nations would go to cut off their nose to spite everybody else’s faces…it does make you speculate and question the validity of humanity’s reign on Earth, it raises doubts on the future; however, in the midst of it all, there is always the fact that you have lived in a time which was honoured to have Midge Ure performing his music in.

There is always the Yin and the Yang, the face of the inspiring, the voice of a spirit that is able to cut a swath across the disaffection and for a while make the day something very special; regardless of how many times you may see Midge Ure perform you cannot ever truly get enough, it is the music equivalent of seeing the great waterfalls of the world up close and personal every day for the rest of your life, sometimes nature is too beautiful to comprehend fully.

There is an air of longing in the audience at any Midge Ure gig, it is undeniable and unmistakeable and yet the feeling of contentment is only assured inside the Epstein Theatre because to many the man whose career has seen him work tirelessly and with the elegance of cool eases the music out as if it is being massaged and pampered, as if the reflection of his soul is not captured in a framed and ornate mirror but the escaping breathe that is ghost like, haunting and full of melody and the urge to follow the revolution in his voice.

Having a career that has spanned the generations is an accomplishment in its self but as the songs on offer resonated around the Epstein Theatre and took hold of the tingling sensation in the spine, it was an eye opener to just how special these songs were and how they remain in touch with his audience’s own soul.

With songs such as If I Was, Become, Hymn, Lament, Vienna, Call of the Wild and the incredible aural spectacle of Fade To Grey pulsating through the set, there was no hiding place, no shelter from the storm that lashed down lovingly from the Epstein Theatre stage.

Once more Midge Ure showcased songs of such importance that they help shape and define a generation, yet for all that importance, for all that grandeur, they, and the musician alike, remain the humblest of spirited character; a thrilling night, one of aural beauty, the late October cold warmed by the heat of a voice always on fire.

Ian D. Hall