15.07.00

MIDGE URE - WOMAD SINGAPORE 1999
FORT CANNING PARK
11th/12th SEPTEMBER 1999

DAY 1

Finally, a gig which was very, very close to home for me, something which I had hoped for in the last eighteen years. Midge Ure along with his familiar line up from the Breathe Tour took to the stage in the scenic Fort Canning Park, Singapore for the very first time. This was actually a show for WOMAD (World Of Music, Arts and Dance) in which Midge had represented Scotland on many occasions before, but nevertheless, it was a gig not to be missed by any fans in this region.

As printed on the ticket, "Rain Or Shine Event", I had my doubts about the weather (it rains on most evenings here this time of year). But miraculously, it was a cloudless night. I was armed only with a bottle of water and a Scottish flag but the atmosphere was simply brilliant. As Midge was the last act on the bill, the crowd waited patiently but the roar from them finally came at 11.40pm, right on schedule.

Midge and the band started off with 'I See Hope In The Morning Light', a track which emphasized a lot on Midge's vocal strength and Troy Donockley's uillean pipes. A string of tracks from his last album Breathe followed, 'Fields Of Fire' brought the tempo down a bit, but it was 'Free' that focused much on the magnificent drumming skills of young Russell Field. The cittern-backed 'Fallen Angel' and 'Sinnerman' came swiftly after that, but by this time the crowd were shouting for Ultravox. Their prayers were answered, Midge had told them that the next song was originally a collaboration between The Plugged (Ultravox) and The Unplugged (The Chieftains), and on came 'All Fall Down'. This was just a taster for more oldies to come. Another from Breathe followed, 'Guns And Arrows' in which Troy's perfect guitar work often brought Robert Fripp into mind. An old favourite 'Vienna' took the crowd off their feet as Josh Phillips, with his fingers sliding through the keyboard showed us that Billy Currie was not missed very much. Troy took the stage again, this time with his solo Celtic piece with the pipes just prior to 'Trail Of Tears'. 'Love's Great Adventure' had brought the crowd dancing closer to the stage and 'Breathe', which was a major hit here last year, had brought them singing through the chorus, undoubtedly the crowd's favourite. Finally, 'Hymn' took most of us back to the eighties, remembering "the power and the glory" of Ultravox.

The encore started with the band's bassist Dave Williamson tackling the bagpipes on 'May Your Good Lord', presenting his Scottish background and influence to the audience. And then, a finale of older tracks. 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes' and Visage's 'Fade To Grey' brought an end to a spectacular evening.

Despite not playing the eagerly awaited 'Man Of Two Worlds' and the instrumentals 'The Chieftain/The Dancer', I had the most excellent time watching a highly talented band such as this perform. Midge and his cohorts had taken this WOMAD festival by storm. I'm sure many Singaporeans would want them to return and many would return the next day to watch Midge perform his solo finale, I know I will.

DAY 2

The second day brought Midge alone with his acoustic guitar, appearing as part of the finale for this event. Given only 15 minutes to perform, he had chosen among the most appropriate songs for this session. From the roar of the audience, where many of them were part of the previous night's crowd, Midge had again brought them on to their feet. He started off with 'Dear God', as from the words, telling everyone peace is greatly needed in this somewhat restless world. He then shifted to 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes', where the crowd were more familiar with the lyrics. A local favourite 'Breathe' had Midge expressing his perfect high-pitched voice on the chorus, which was a bit too difficult for the crowd to sing along. With only a few minutes to spare, he finished off with a shortened version of 'All Fall Down'. Once again Midge, with or without his band had scored top marks in this WOMAD performance which would definitely add to his long list of honours in his career.

Review by Shafiz Yusof