Midge Ure

A small but devoted crowd are gathered at the Magazzini Generali venue in Milano to see Midge Ure. Together with a three piece electronic band, he’s here on this ‘Voice and Visions’ tour, celebrating the classic trilogy of Ultravox albums: ‘Vienna ‘, ‘Rage Of Eden’ and ‘Quartet’, made between 1980 and 1982.

It’s never easy these days for a solo artist to stage a tour with a band given the costs, covid and Brexit restrictions, but it helps if two members of your band are the support group, in this case, ‘India Electric Co.’. Cole Stacey and Joseph O’Keefe play all things that are bass and synthesizers, whilst Midge with his vintage signature gold guitar in hand and the faithful Russell Field on electronic drums complete the band.

Midge is a superb musician and a very able performer and indeed his solo shows are wonderful events where his powerful resonant voice and deft acoustic guitar playing, along with stories from yesteryear, really engage his audience. The more edgy, incessant energy needed for these Ultravox songs seems harder to find and the rather poor and “not f**king loud enough” sound system doesn’t favour the outcome but there are times where the enthusiasm of the crowd and the band shine to create that enthralling, bountiful 80’s electronic sound that makes you want to dance and sing. Yes, sing; because whatever anyone thinks of 80’s music, in hindsight, there is no denying the melodic and most often, lyrical beauty of the vocal phrasing. In this Ultravox were second to none and indeed I dare you to listen to ‘Vienna’ or ‘Hymn’ without having a good old singsong.

Highlights for me at least is a broody, formidable ‘Fade To Grey’, a majestic ‘Reap The wild Wind’, and splendid renditions of ‘Vienna, ‘Breathe’(specifically played for the Italian audience), and ‘Astradyne’. A four star concert with a two star venue equals a three star review for me, but Midge Ure, for everything that he has done in and around the pop world; for always being a perfect gentleman, is a class act.


Setlist
Dear God
If I Was
Fade to Grey
Breathe
The Voice
We Stand Alone
The Thin Wall
I Remember (Death in the Afternoon)
Your Name (Has Slipped My Mind Again)
Rage in Eden
Reap the Wild Wind
Mine for Life
We Came to Dance
Serenade
Hymn
Visions in Blue

Encore:
Astradyne
Vienna
All Stood Still