Midge Ure’s ‘A Man of Two Worlds’: Age and experience beats youth and enthusiasm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 12 May 2026

Midge Ure’s A Man Of Two Worlds Tour was my very first gig review. I’m glad my first time was with someone experienced. Ure’s brand of synth-pop has never really sat right with me, I can certainly appreciate it and understand why some love it, but for me, it’s never really hit the spot. But a real artist is impressive whether what they make suits you or not: and Midge Ure really is that good. 

Birmingham Symphony Hall, despite its impressive size and great acoustics is not a particularly exciting venue on a Tuesday night, and it’s hard to hold that against it. As much as I wish I could say the veteran performer manifested a youthful Tuesday buzz, that would be a lie. 

He is a musician who has been practising his craft for decades and it shows

Once Midge Ure appeared unassumingly on stage however, the atmosphere of the event was hard to care about. Performing to tantalizing and expertly timed lighting, Ure’s performance reminded one self-satisfied student journalist just how good an experienced performer can really be. The powerful torrent of synth and roaring solos would remind any sceptic that though many of my generation know Midge Ure from his mention in the Gavin and Stacey ‘Christmas Special’, he is a musician who has been practising his craft for decades and it shows. 

In his performance, there were no frills, no over the top body language, no need for any of that. One was given the sense that Ure enjoyed showing people how it’s really done, that he was performing decades before I was born, and that there is no substitute for experience. 

Despite the name of this new tour, there were surprisingly few appearances from Ure’s new double album, A Man of  Two Worlds. I have an enormous respect for anyone who can make a success as a musician and the huge amount of work that goes into making music of any kind, however I feel journalistically obligated to tell you that I find much of Ultravox’s brand of aggressively soft synth-pop to be tepid and uncompelling, like maths lessons or decaf coffee.  

I’m not ashamed to say that I was sucked in more and more by the latter tracks

The set list was dominated by Ultravox numbers, which despite my own aversions I cannot fault, as I’m sure it’s what Ure’s great number of eager attendees were dying to hear. The list picked up after the slow burn start of ‘A Different View’, one of the few titles to feature from Ure’s new album. And I’m not ashamed to say that I was sucked in more and more by the latter tracks, the powerful backing and expert vocals of ‘Accent On Youth’ and the undeniable catchy ‘The Ascent’ were welcome editions. 

This performance had, short of my personal taste, everything going for it, and that wasn’t by accident. Everything from the lighting to the vocals was correct and impressive: this was a real performance by real professionals. I loved everything about this performance, except the music being performed.  

★★★☆☆