Susan Welsh takes Midge Ure on a trip down memory lane to chat about camping in the Bught Park, dodgy suits, false moustaches and Live Aid
Confession time: I remember as a teenager in the 1970s having a wee crush on the band who regularly turned up from Glasgow to play the Cameron Boys Club in Inverness. That band was Salvation and the lead singer Midge Ure.
Had I realised he’d go on to become a huge star and hero to millions, I might have tried a little harder to impress him with my dance moves. Not that he’d have noticed, as he confessed to me, he was probably too busy thinking about the long drive home.
“Salvation used to play Inverness a lot during the 1970s,” said Midge, who will kick off his latest 14-date Breathe Again tour, with an intimate show at Ironworks in Inverness on Wednesday, March 18.
“I remember clearly playing the Boys Club and the Caledonian Hotel in Inverness. In those days, I was also the van driver and it used to take at least five hours to drive from Glasgow to Inverness. It was a nightmare and after playing two 45 minute sets we’d be back in the van again, not reaching home until about 6am. I’d whack David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust on the eight track player to try and keep myself awake.”
So now that he’s regarded as a living legend, will he be arriving in the style befitting a rock star?
“No, that’s never been my style. I’ve never thrown a telly out of a window or driven a Rolls Royce into a swimming pool either.
“It’s been quite a while since I was in Inverness so I’m looking forward to it. Many a happy teenage holiday was spent camping at the Bught Park. During one holiday, when I was 16, I spent my entire week’s living money on a brushed denim trouser suit from a really cool little shop down a lane (Lovelace Boutique). The suit was way too big but I had to have it.”
Midge has always had an eye for fashion. Something very evident in the video accompanying the Ultravox hit Vienna. Inspired by the 1949 film The Third Man, the promo video was considered groundbreaking.
“When we made Vienna people assumed we were rolling in money, but we were absolutely skint. We used to wear what we called dead men’s clothes – old de-mob 1940s suits from charity shops. The only expensive item in that video was the Burberry raincoat I wore. It was the first thing I bought when I made some money. I’d always wanted to own a classic raincoat. I still have it, and despite there being a huge market for pop memorabilia, I’d never part with it.”
Equally iconic is the song Do They Know It’s Christmas? which he wrote with Bob Geldof and which led to the Live Aid concert of 1985 which he also co-organised.
“When I hear the original record being played, usually in a supermarket in late October, the opening clang makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Bob and I are reasonably intelligent people, but it never crossed our minds that if you make a good Christmas record it will re-appear every year.
“That song was very specific, made in response to what was happening in Ethiopia. As a song I’d say it’s okay, but as a record it certainly did its job. The remake was different and raised a few million pounds and we’ve already started funding some of the requests for help with the money from it.
“It was interesting working with new artists and suddenly I became important in my children’s eyes. They were impressed that Ed Sheeran knew me as usually it’s just embarrassing for them that people know who their dad is. I don’t know why – I don’t turn up at the school gate wearing my raincoat and with a little moustache drawn on, but might threaten them with that one day,” joked Midge.
It’s unlikely that he’ll have a moustache or raincoat when he takes to the stage of the Ironworks next week, but he will be joined by Cole Stacey and Joseph O’Keefe, of India Electric Co, who previously supported him on his 2011 tour. As well as the playing songs from the Breathe album, Midge will perform a range of hits from his career which spans more than 40 years.
“The show will focus on this one particular album but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to play all the songs people want to hear. We’ll be giving the usual suspects a make-over – I’m really looking forward to it.”
Midge Ure is in concert at The Ironworks, Inverness, on Wednesday, March 18. Tickets, priced £20, are available from the Ironworks box office at www.ironworksvenue.com or call 0871 789 4173.