Latest news with #NewRomantic
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
What happens when New Romantics grow old? Just ask Midge Ure
It was so polarising that it led to the group's demise. Undeterred, Ure and Rich Kids bandmate (and influential club DJ) Rusty Egan co-founded Visage, the New Romantic frontrunners who had a hit in 1980 with the song Fade To Grey. In the decades since, Ure has become one of music's most reliable practitioners, successfully proving there is a world in which guitars and synthesisers can co-exist, first with his post-Visage band Ultravox, and then as a solo artist. And though the days of releasing hit singles may be behind him, his catalogue is blessed with enough fan-friendly deep cuts – solo chart toppers such as If I Was and mainstream hits like Ultravox's Vienna – to sustain a healthy touring schedule. In October, it will bring Ure to Australia for the aptly named Catalogue tour, in which he will perform music from throughout his career, including tracks from the ill-fated Rich Kids. (There may also be a few Thin Lizzy songs, given Ure was drafted in by frontman Phil Lynott to replace guitarist Gary Moore on a US tour supporting Journey in 1979.) 'I wanted to avoid 'the hits' tour, so I called it 'Catalogue', but 'the hits' managed to squeeze its way onto the tour poster,' he says. 'You're expected to play a lot of those anyway. But I dug deep and started looking at songs that should have been singles in retrospect, and other key tracks for me. 'They're not all three-minute pop songs. I do things like [Ultravox's] Your Name (Has Slipped My Mind Again), which is a long, atmospheric, filmic thing.' The idea for the Catalogue tour stemmed from a similarly themed 2023 concert at London's Royal Albert Hall to mark Ure's 70th birthday. Given Ure has now joined the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Robert Plant in the ranks of septuagenarian musicians still going strong, it raises the question: is rock'n'roll no longer just a young person's game? 'It's totally changing!' says Ure. 'I'm reading a book called Hope I Get Old Before I Die [by David Hepworth], and it's all about the fact that at Live Aid, something changed. There were no youngsters on Live Aid, the youngsters were in their mid-to-late thirties. Ultravox and Spandau Ballet were the youngsters. 'McCartney was 48 when he did Live Aid, and we all thought of him as an old guy! So it all changed at that point and became more about whether you were good or not as opposed to whether you were new or not.' No matter the magnitude of Ure's achievements, the spectre of Live Aid – which this month marked its 40th anniversary – and 1984's Band Aid charity single Do They Know It's Christmas? will forever loom large. Ure co-wrote the song with Bob Geldof, who spearheaded the project to fight famine in Ethiopia. 'Bob came to mine with a song he didn't tell me at the time that he'd kind of half written and played to The Boomtown Rats, who thought it was shit,' laughs Ure. 'It wasn't a great song. It felt like we were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It had no chorus, there were no repeating bits, there was nothing that people could latch on to.' Ure recorded the music and arranged Do They Know It's Christmas? over a four-day session in his home studio. Geldof, meanwhile, set about enlisting some of Britain's biggest pop stars to sing on it, including Bono, Boy George, George Michael, Simon Le Bon and Sting. 'Maybe tenacity and desperation of trying to get [the song] done and out there was what drove it through in the long run,' says Ure. 'As a record it worked incredibly well, and that was due to the fact we had some of the best artists that the UK had to offer lending their name and their fan base.' Though well into his sixth decade as a performer, Ure says he will get the same buzz walking onstage at his Australian dates that he felt as a teen watching artists such as Led Zeppelin and The Carpenters at The Apollo in Glasgow. 'If you don't, you're dead,' he says. 'There's something not right. I'm still enthusiastic about it. You know why? Because it's too much like hard work if you don't feel it.'
The Age
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
What happens when New Romantics grow old? Just ask Midge Ure
It was so polarising that it led to the group's demise. Undeterred, Ure and Rich Kids bandmate (and influential club DJ) Rusty Egan co-founded Visage, the New Romantic frontrunners who had a hit in 1980 with the song Fade To Grey. In the decades since, Ure has become one of music's most reliable practitioners, successfully proving there is a world in which guitars and synthesisers can co-exist, first with his post-Visage band Ultravox, and then as a solo artist. And though the days of releasing hit singles may be behind him, his catalogue is blessed with enough fan-friendly deep cuts – solo chart toppers such as If I Was and mainstream hits like Ultravox's Vienna – to sustain a healthy touring schedule. In October, it will bring Ure to Australia for the aptly named Catalogue tour, in which he will perform music from throughout his career, including tracks from the ill-fated Rich Kids. (There may also be a few Thin Lizzy songs, given Ure was drafted in by frontman Phil Lynott to replace guitarist Gary Moore on a US tour supporting Journey in 1979.) 'I wanted to avoid 'the hits' tour, so I called it 'Catalogue', but 'the hits' managed to squeeze its way onto the tour poster,' he says. 'You're expected to play a lot of those anyway. But I dug deep and started looking at songs that should have been singles in retrospect, and other key tracks for me. 'They're not all three-minute pop songs. I do things like [Ultravox's] Your Name (Has Slipped My Mind Again), which is a long, atmospheric, filmic thing.' The idea for the Catalogue tour stemmed from a similarly themed 2023 concert at London's Royal Albert Hall to mark Ure's 70th birthday. Given Ure has now joined the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Robert Plant in the ranks of septuagenarian musicians still going strong, it raises the question: is rock'n'roll no longer just a young person's game? 'It's totally changing!' says Ure. 'I'm reading a book called Hope I Get Old Before I Die [by David Hepworth], and it's all about the fact that at Live Aid, something changed. There were no youngsters on Live Aid, the youngsters were in their mid-to-late thirties. Ultravox and Spandau Ballet were the youngsters. 'McCartney was 48 when he did Live Aid, and we all thought of him as an old guy! So it all changed at that point and became more about whether you were good or not as opposed to whether you were new or not.' No matter the magnitude of Ure's achievements, the spectre of Live Aid – which this month marked its 40th anniversary – and 1984's Band Aid charity single Do They Know It's Christmas? will forever loom large. Ure co-wrote the song with Bob Geldof, who spearheaded the project to fight famine in Ethiopia. 'Bob came to mine with a song he didn't tell me at the time that he'd kind of half written and played to The Boomtown Rats, who thought it was shit,' laughs Ure. 'It wasn't a great song. It felt like we were trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It had no chorus, there were no repeating bits, there was nothing that people could latch on to.' Ure recorded the music and arranged Do They Know It's Christmas? over a four-day session in his home studio. Geldof, meanwhile, set about enlisting some of Britain's biggest pop stars to sing on it, including Bono, Boy George, George Michael, Simon Le Bon and Sting. 'Maybe tenacity and desperation of trying to get [the song] done and out there was what drove it through in the long run,' says Ure. 'As a record it worked incredibly well, and that was due to the fact we had some of the best artists that the UK had to offer lending their name and their fan base.' Though well into his sixth decade as a performer, Ure says he will get the same buzz walking onstage at his Australian dates that he felt as a teen watching artists such as Led Zeppelin and The Carpenters at The Apollo in Glasgow. 'If you don't, you're dead,' he says. 'There's something not right. I'm still enthusiastic about it. You know why? Because it's too much like hard work if you don't feel it.'
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Ronan Keating Returning To NZ For One Show
Annual music festival, Selwyn Sounds, will be headlined next year by one of the most successful and well-known international stars to have appeared at the event. Ronan Keating will take the stage in Lincoln just outside Christchurch, on 7 March 2026, for a one-night-only New Zealand performance. The Irish superstar has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, including 10 top 10 singles and three number ones, and festival promoter David Parlane says with Keating and an exceptionally strong lineup, he expects this year's Selwyn Sounds to be a sell-out. 'We are thrilled to have Ronan on board for 2026', says Mr Parlane. 'Together with Tony Hadley ex Spandau Ballet, Kiwi legends When the Cats Away, Mi-Sex, Op Shop and crowd favourites Automatic 80's, this is lining up to be one of our biggest Selwyn Sounds yet.' Ronan Keating announced on July 10 he is celebrating the 25th anniversary edition of Ronan – his multi-million selling debut solo album – with double CD and 2LP reissues in September. Mr Parlane adds that the positivity and economic buoyancy in the Canterbury region is definitely going to be a key factor. 'You can feel it,' he says. 'The energy and vibe all around us in Canterbury is palpable. Hearing all of these outstanding performers at the Lincoln Domain in March next year will be incredible.' Tony Hadley, ex-Spandau Ballet – like Ronan Keating – is an international star and no stranger to New Zealand. He was here in 2022 with his 40th anniversary tour (Auckland and Christchurch). At the forefront of the New Romantic movement in the 1980's, Mr Hadley will perform Spandau Ballets greatest hits, and a collection of his more recent work. Selwyn Sounds will rock the Lincoln Domain on March 7, 2026. Register today, (July 15) for the 24-hour pre-sale which starts on Tuesday 22 July. A pre-sale link will be emailed at 7am on July 22 to all those who have registered. General Admission tickets go on sale from Wednesday 23 July at
Scoop
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Ronan Keating Returning To NZ For One Show
Annual music festival, Selwyn Sounds, will be headlined next year by one of the most successful and well-known international stars to have appeared at the event. Ronan Keating will take the stage in Lincoln just outside Christchurch, on 7 March 2026, for a one-night-only New Zealand performance. The Irish superstar has sold more than 25 million records worldwide, including 10 top 10 singles and three number ones, and festival promoter David Parlane says with Keating and an exceptionally strong lineup, he expects this year's Selwyn Sounds to be a sell-out. 'We are thrilled to have Ronan on board for 2026', says Mr Parlane. 'Together with Tony Hadley ex Spandau Ballet, Kiwi legends When the Cats Away, Mi-Sex, Op Shop and crowd favourites Automatic 80's, this is lining up to be one of our biggest Selwyn Sounds yet.' Ronan Keating announced on July 10 he is celebrating the 25th anniversary edition of Ronan – his multi-million selling debut solo album – with double CD and 2LP reissues in September. Mr Parlane adds that the positivity and economic buoyancy in the Canterbury region is definitely going to be a key factor. 'You can feel it,' he says. 'The energy and vibe all around us in Canterbury is palpable. Hearing all of these outstanding performers at the Lincoln Domain in March next year will be incredible.' Tony Hadley, ex-Spandau Ballet – like Ronan Keating – is an international star and no stranger to New Zealand. He was here in 2022 with his 40th anniversary tour (Auckland and Christchurch). At the forefront of the New Romantic movement in the 1980's, Mr Hadley will perform Spandau Ballets greatest hits, and a collection of his more recent work. Selwyn Sounds will rock the Lincoln Domain on March 7, 2026. Register today, (July 15) for the 24-hour pre-sale which starts on Tuesday 22 July. A pre-sale link will be emailed at 7am on July 22 to all those who have registered. General Admission tickets go on sale from Wednesday 23 July at
ABC News
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Midge Ure on punk, pop and Ultravox and Nina Korbe on opera and advocacy
Midge Ure is a musical chameleon, his career having taken him from boy band, Slik (stable mates of the Bay City Rollers), to punk band, Rich Kids (with ex-Sex Pistol, Glen Matlock), to singer, guitarist and keyboard player with Ultravox, penning one of the great New Romantic anthems, 'Vienna'. For the past thirty years he's been a solo artist with an ever-evolving songbook and later this year he's bringing it to Australia. He talks to Andy about his varied career and why Ultravox was never really synth pop – not when their biggest hit contained a viola solo. Nina Korbe is Koa, Kuku Yalanji, and Wakka Wakka singer and broadcaster. She joins Andy to talk about her operatic and music theatre career on the rise, and her advocacy work introducing kids from her family's traditional lands to orchestral performance. Nina Korbe performs as Musetta in Opera Queendsland's La bohème in September. Midge Ure tours Australia in October. Full dates here. Music in this program: Title: Kanana Artist: Bumpy Composer: Amy Dowd, Mick Power Album: Kanana (due 3 October) Label: Astral People Recordings Title: Vienna Artist: Ultravox Composer: Chris Allen, James Ure, Warren Reginald Cann, William Lee Currie Album: Vienna Label: Chrysalis Title: Forever and Ever Artist: Slik Composer: Bill Martin, Phil Coulter Album: Slik Label: Bell Records Title: Put You in the Picture Artist: Rich Kids Composer: James Ure Album: Ghosts of Princes in Towers Label: EMI Title: If I Was Artist: Midge Ure Composer: James Ure Album: The Gift Label: Chrysalis Title: Shéhérazade (extract) Artist: Nina Korbe, Queensland Youth Symphony, Simon Hewett Composer: Maurice Ravel Courtesy of QYO Title: Somewhere from West Side Story Artist: Nina Korbe Composer: Leonard Bernstein Courtesy of ABC Classic Title: Gone a Long Time Artist: Billy Strings Composer: Billy Strings, Jarrod Walker Album: Highway Prayers Label: Reprise The Music Show is produced on Gadigal and Gundungurra Country
