Midge Ure set to pay his tribute to 80s pop revolution

Midge Ure was a leading figure in the change from a guitar driven sound to the electronic tones which dominated pop in the early 80s.

He co-wrote, recorded and produced the albums Fade To Grey by Visage and Ultravox’s Vienna, which pioneered not just a new music sound but also revolutions in fashion and culture.

Forty years later Midge Ure and his band Electronica will be touring to pay tribute to the albums, it will be the first time that Vienna will be performed in its entirety and the first time that many of the songs from the debut Visage album will be played live.

Midge Ure said: “Autumn 1979 was a pivotal point in my career trajectory. Over the previous two years I had grown from ‘pop band’ (Slik) to ‘post punk band’ (The Rich Kids) to being a stand in guitarist for Thin Lizzy. 

“Over the course of autumn into winter 1979, while working on the Visage project with Billy Currie, I was invited to join Ultravox. The work we did that winter on the Vienna album was an exhilarating rush of creativity the likes of which I had never experienced before.”

Midge Ure and Electronica will be on stage at Birmingham Town Hall on Monday October 7.