Grammy and Brit Award winning musician Midge Ure returns to North America this week, playing with a full band for the first time since the Retro Futura Tour in 2014. Playing along with Midge will be former Right the Stars drummer BC Taylor and L.A. based keyboard player Tony Solis “I have been fortunate enough to meet up with some brilliant American musicians over the last few years and will be working with a couple of them on this tour. Both are multi instrumentalists and will cover drums, bass and electronics” Richard Lloyd from Television will support on select dates.
This run of dates will be mosty East Coast with West Coast dates planned for early 2017. Last year saw Ure playing acoustic on the Fragile Troubadour Tour not only playing but traveling completely solo and recording the whole experience himself for a documentary released late last year. The film highlights the realities facing the modern touring musician. Ure explains how the idea came to be: “After I was asked to do a masterclass at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts I realised that talking about multi album record deals and world tours would be something most of the students would never experience so I set about doing the six week tour completely alone. No crew. No tour manager. No musicians. I wanted to show the reality of what they might face, if they pursue a career in the current music industry.”
Midge Ure:Fragile Troubadour from midge ure on Vimeo.
Midge will be performing Ultravox, Visage and solo material as well as playing songs from his highly acclaimed album Fragile, released in 2014. Very much plugged in, this tour features Ure on electric guitar and synthesizer recalling the groundbreaking, innovative sound he is known for.
Ure is constantly in the studio when breaks in touring allows working on new material with hopes for a new full-length album to be done by late next year. He has also contributed a song for the accompanying album to the movie ‘Fly’ about the Olympic ski underdog Eddie the Eagle released in the UK and US earlier this year. The song Touching Hearts and Skies while contemporary is steeped in the essence of the early 80’s Ultravox/Visage sound.
Midge has also just appeared in a new highly acclaimed BBC TV show looking for ‘part time’ bands, exploring unsigned bands who perform just for the she joy of it. He travelled across Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales with a film crew choosing artists to perform at a concert in Manchester where the audience would select their favorite band. New Order’s Peter Hook and Soul to Soul’s Jazzy B covered other parts of the UK. Unlike other ‘talent shows’ there is no record deal, music equipment or blank cheques awarded. The prize is appearing on the show and the platform it gives them.
Another recent UK happening saw Midge reunite with some old friends…After meeting up with old Rich Kids bandmate ex Sex Pistol Glen Matlock at the prestigious Q Awards the pair decided to get together with drummer Rusty Egan and do a ‘one off’ show to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the birth of UK punk. The band performed the London show with Spandau Ballets Gary Kemp helping out on guitar.
Midge Ure Tour Dates: *with Special Guest – Richard Lloyd of Television
September 30 – Amityville, NY – Revolution*
October 01 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House*
October 02 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater*
October 04 – Bethesda, MD – Bethesda Blues & Jazz*
October 05 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe*
October 06 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse
October 07 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
October 08 – Toronto, ON – Opera House
October 09 – Ferndale, MI – Magic Bag
October 10 – Cleveland, OH – Music Box Supper Club
October 12 – Chicago, IL – Martyrs
October 13 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall
October 14 – Louisville, KY – The New Vintage
October 15 – Atlanta, GA The Earl
Leg 2 – 2017
January 5 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw
January 6 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
January 7 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
January 9 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
January 10 – Petaluma, CA – Mystic Theater
January 11 – San Francisco, CA – Social Hall
January 12 – Orange County, CA – Coach House
January 13 – Los Angeles, CA – The Roxy
January 14 – San Diego, CA – The Roxy
January 16 – Salt Lake City, UT – Grand at The Complex
January 18 – Denver, CO – Soiled Dove
January 20 – Austin, TX – 3Ten
January 21 – Denton, TX – Dan’s Silver Leaf
January 23 – Nashville, TN – City Winery
Midge Ure has an impressive back catalogue fronting the groundbreaking electrorock band Ultravox as well as being a member of such noteable bands as Visage and Thin Lizzy in addition to Band Aid where he produced and co wrote the smash charity single ‘Do They Know Its Christmas’. He was also one of the principle creators of Live Aid and Live 8 along with Bob Geldof. Ure has spent most of his career touring the globe most recently with Ultravox who reformed in 2009 as well as some solo shows and the notable role of MD for the Princes Trust at the Royal Albert Hall with a cast of the usual suspects including Queen, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Mark King.
Midge’s Autobiography ‘If I Was’is now also available as an E-Book (narrated by the man himself!) available here.
