Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There is a depth of feeling held by some that a Midge Ure gig is one that differs immensely when viewed as a full-blown electric performance and that of the solo acoustic presentation. Both offer the public something rather extraordinary, a voice that truly is seen as the human version of silk, a belief that the audience deserve something more than just an evening of functionality and enactment, and yet as the fully invested crowd at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall found the May night air to be filled with electricity and intrigue, the aptly titled new album made it clear of what to expect, of a solid pounding that resounded in the artist’s flair and ever burgeoning song list.

A Man Of Two Worlds, one of the foremost names in the electronic era through his time with Ultravox and working with Visage, and his own sublime solo works, found himself on stage with a delicious sense of virtuoso support, and took the crowd on a journey that encompassed hits and loved songs from his long standing career and the whole night was one of sheer and incredible cool.

A Different View, an almost avant garde opening, pushed the agenda of the night to its fullest and most endearing, a thrill ride and thoughtful pulse in which songs, some legendary pieces, made their presence felt and echoed with clarity across every section of the venue.

Through songs such as Just Words from the brand-new album, Accent On Youth, Your Name (Has Slipped My Mind Again), Astradyne, the heavenly Lament, the mythical beauty of narration in Vienna, the co-written 80s haunting spectacular made famous by Visage, Fade To Grey, and Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, Midge Ure strode with artistic confidence, with passion, and that rarest of commodities, humility.

A stunning evening made even more special by Midge’s refusal to give in despite fighting health issues, it is in that testament to the man that the adoring crowd danced their own night away in comfort and emotional purity.  

Ian D. Hall