80s pop icon looks unrecognisable as he’s pictured at Wembley stadium – but can you guess who it is?
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By SAM LAWLEY
An 80s pop icon looked unrecognisable as he headed back to Wembley Stadium for Live Aid: The Musical’s cast recording on Thursday, 40 years after the iconic concert.
The musician was a key organiser of the original two-venue benefit, held on July 13 1985, which intended to raise relief funds for the Ethiopian famine that claimed approximately 300,000 to 1.2 million lives.
Almost 40 years after 72,000 fans converged on the venue for an epic string of performances from some of the biggest stars of the decade, this singer posed for photos on its hallowed turf.
Hailing from the outskirts of Greater Glasgow, the musician journeyed around several groups in the 70s and early 80s but found real success as the second lead singer of a revived band in 1979.
They had a major hit with Vienna in 1981, which went on to become the fifth highest selling single in the UK that year.
He juggled his key roles in three big bands, before co-writing and producing Do They Know It’s Christmas for Band Aid in 1984 and bagging a solo number one single with If I Was a year later.
Can you guess who the new wave icon is?
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An 80s pop icon looked unrecognisable as he headed back to Wembley Stadium for Live Aid: The Musical’s cast recording on Thursday – can you guess who it is?
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It is none other than Ultravox, Thin Lizzy and Visage star Midge Ure who joined fellow Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof to recall fond memories of the fundraising event (pictured in 1984)
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It is none other than Ultravox, Thin Lizzy and Visage star Midge Ure.
Echoing that legendary summer’s day in 1985, the sun beat down on Wembley as he and fellow Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof recalled fond memories of the fundraising event.
Launched at London’s Old Vic in 2024, jukebox musical Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical details the events leading up to the two concerts, while featuring a series of fictionalised dramatic sub-plots.
Following a recent two month run at Toronto’s Mirvish Theatre, it will open at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre from May 15 for a further eight weeks, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Live Aid.
Watched by an estimated 1.9billion people across the world, the two concerts raised an astonishing £150m in total for famine relief.
Just seven-months after the release of Band Aid charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?, Geldof and Ure brought together some of the biggest artists of the 1980s for two huge concerts at Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium.
David Bowie, Sir Paul McCartney, Status Quo, Sir Elton John and Queen led a lengthy roster of performers in London, while Black Sabbath, Joan Baez, Run D.M.C and The Beach Boys joined a host of stars in Philadelphia.
Ahead of the anniversary, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer have announced plans to broadcast Live Aid at 40, revealing the behind-the-scenes story of the 1985 concert that brought the idea of charity to a new generation.
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Echoing that legendary summer’s day in 1985, the sun beat down on Wembley as the pair returned to the site of the famous concert
Geldof (pictured, left) wore a Breton shirt and jeans for his visit to the stadium, while Ure (right) sported a thick roll-neck sweater, despite the weather pushing thirty degrees
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Launched at London’s Old Vic in 2024, jukebox musical Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical details the events leading up to the two concerts
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View gallery
Following a recent two month run at Toronto’s Mirvish Theatre, it will open at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre from May 15 for a further eight weeks
This Morning’s Cat Deeley left red-faced after Bob Geldof correct her
The event proved the pinnacle of Midge’s lofty career, which kicked off with a 1976 number one single, Forever And Ever, while playing in the band Slik.
He then had a brief stint in new wave group Rich Kids before forming Visage in 1978 with Rusty Egan and lead vocalist Steve Strange.
The band enjoyed a string of hits, including Fade To Grey, and successful albums Visage and The Anvil before tensions caused them to go their separate ways.
He then joined Thin Lizzy in 1979 before regrouping Ultravox later that year as its singer, songwriter and guitarist.
As Vienna topped the charts in 1981, Midge was also juggling his roles in Visage and Thin Lizzy.
They went on to land four top 10 albums and a top three single in Dancing With Tears In My Eyes, before their greatest hits record was released and certified triple platinum.
Once he focussed on his solo career, Midge had a number one single with If I Was in 1985 and a number two album in the same year with The Gift.
After overseeing Live 8 in 2005, Midge was awarded an OBE.
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The star journeyed around several groups in the 70s and early 80s but found real success as the second lead singer of a revived Ultravox in 1979 (pictured in 1982)
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Pictured left to right: Bob Geldof, Adam Ant, Sir Elton John, Gary Kemp, Tony Hadley and Midge Ure attend a Wembley Stadium press conference ahead of Live Aid in 1985
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The BBC will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Live Aid with a series of programmes detailing the behind-the-scenes story of the iconic concerts on July 13, 1985
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In 2003, he tied the knot with his second wife, actress Sheridan Forbes (pictured, right, in 2005)). The duo live in Bath and have three daughters
Janice Long poses on pitch at Wembley Stadium ahead of Live Aid
He married his first wife, TV presenter Annabel Giles, in 1985 and they had one daughter Molly Lorenne before divorcing in 1989.
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Bob Geldof and Midge Ure return to Wembley Stadium for Live Aid: The Musical cast recording
In 2003, he tied the knot with his second wife, actress Sheridan Forbes. The duo live in Bath and have three daughters.
Last year, Midge paid tribute to his friend and Ultravox bandmate Chris Cross: ‘We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together.
‘We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades. Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed. You were the glue that held the band together.
‘You were the logic in the madness and the madness in our lives. It was great to know and grow with you. You are loved and missed old friend.’
