Midge Ure. The Ultravox front man who rode the crest of the wave through the band’s biggest success and then went on to form Band Aid and Live Aid to feed the starving millions in Ethiopia.
In part 2 of this podcast Midge takes us behind the scenes of the Band Aid recording where he and Bob Geldof stood outside the Sarm West recording studios in front of a huge media contingent wondering if any of the stars they’d invited would turn up to their Sunday morning recording session for their little charity record.
Twenty four hours later the BBC were playing Do They Know It’s Christmas? and Midge Ure’s life would never be the same again. He then takes us backstage to Wembley Stadium where some of the biggest rock stars on the planet were lined up for the cultural juggernaut that was Live Aid, recalling a very humorous encounter with Freddie Mercury.
Midge Ure’s subsequent travels to Africa and his ongoing work with Band Aid changed his life. With zero experience in charity work he shares his insights into the challenges he and Bob Geldof faced as they worked through the dilemma of how best to spend the millions they’d raised.
We discuss his career post Live Aid as Ultravox fell apart (only to reform again much later) and the perils of life as a recording and touring artist in the digital age, including his current Something From Everything tour.
It’s a remarkable journey shared by an incredibly down to earth bloke – he couldn’t have been any more charming unless he had a beer in front him.
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