Midge Ure Voice And Visions Tour  – Sheffield City 24th April 2023

Words and photos: Diamond Dave

I had the pleasure of interviewing Midge Ure in November 2020. We talked about a tour that he was planning called “Voice And Visions” which was going to concentrate on material from his days in Visage and early Ultravox. These shows were repeatedly postponed because of the pandemic, yet Midge was determined that they would happen. So these fans had waited nearly 3 years from buying their tickets to tonight’s show. Tonight, the City Hall crowd and myself are in no doubt that it was worth the wait!

Starting with the track Dear God, I can’t remember many gigs that have had such a celebratory edge from performers and audience alike. An interesting curveball is thrown in with the track If I Was, a solo hit from 1985 which is followed by the Visage hit Fade To Grey, which bring the crowd up out of their seats. The thing about Midge Ure is that even if you take out his Ultravox material, this leaves his career as a solo artist, member of Visage or Rich Kids Band Aid/Live Aid (and even a brief tenure in Thin Lizzy!!!). The man has been an extraordinarily important figure in the British music scene since the late 70’s.

The list of incredible Ultravox songs this evening is a wonder to behold, all of them greeted by this middle aged crowd with such enthusiasm that, even though we all prefer a good sit down these days, we are up bopping like cats on a hot tin roof! The Voice/Reap The Wild Wind/We Came To Dance and Hymn are all greeted like long lost friends. Midge Ure & Band Electronica, as tonight’s performers are otherwise known, give these Ultravox songs a real modern and interesting feel. The final song of the set is Visions In Blue which is so haunting it seems the perfect way to end the main set.

This South Yorkshire crowd do not have to wait long for the band to come back to the stage for a well deserved encore of Vienna, a song that sums up the early 80’s music scene like few others and after the crowd get on their feet for All Stood Still for the final time…..well, I have to say…it was worth the wait!!