The Scottish singer and musician Midge Ure was a founding member of the New Romantic act Visage. He later found major success fronting Ultravox, the Krautrock-influenced band whose 1981 single Vienna reached Number 2 in the UK. In 2005, he was awarded an OBE in acknowledgement of his work on Live Aid and Live 8 alongside Sir Bob Geldof. Now Ure is back with Ultravox and Brilliant, their first studio album in almost three decades.
Zillions of bands have reformed recently - was it inevitable that Ultravox would follow suit?
Absolutely not. It only came about because [gig promoter] Live Nation got in touch with us all individually and said, "It's 30 years since you wrote Vienna - how about some anniversary shows?" I thought we'd never agree on the terms, but we did.
Your new song Contact seems dubious about some modern forms of communication.
Yes. My daughters text and Skype like mad. Sometimes they'd rather do that than go and visit their friends in person. They get asked out on dates by text, too. That obviously requires less courage, but it's not quite the same, is it?
I can't imagine a synth-pop pioneer like yourself being a Luddite, though?
No, I've always loved my gadgets and my synthesisers, but I actively avoided Facebook for a long time, even though there were plenty of people on there pretending to be me. I eventually realised it's quite a useful tool. You can keep your fans updated and you get all the fan mail that might previously have ended up in the record company's cupboard.
The title track on Brilliant deals with the fickle nature of fame.
That's right. A lot of kids these days seem to want to be famous for the sake of being famous. They want the icing without having to build the cake.
When your 1970s pop band Slik's single Forever And Ever went to Number 1 in the UK, you were 23. How did you handle early-onset fame?
Incredibly well. The fame went away as quickly as it arrived (laughs). I hadn't written the song, and, truth be told, I wasn't even allowed to play on it. That's how things were done back then. It was all very bittersweet.
You famously co-organised Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof. Can you imagine today's young bands picking up the baton?
The template is still there, so why not? But it was telling that, when we did Live 8 20 years on from Live Aid, it was the same old dinosaurs that showed up - and thank God they did. There were a few new artists, but the brunt of it was your U2s and your Pink Floyds.
In 2007, you were a finalist on BBC TV's culinary competition Celebrity Masterchef. Any new recipes?
No, that show put me off cordon bleu cooking for life (laughs). The tasks were ridiculous. I still enjoy making dinner for my family, though. It's my way of relaxing.
Musically speaking, you'll likely be remembered for Vienna. Comfortable with that?
Well, there are other songs I've written that I'd prefer weren't my legacy - let's put it like that. I'm proud of Vienna. We stuck our necks out there. It's an electronic ballad that speeds up and has a viola solo in the middle.
Can you still identify with the pencil-mustachioed young man you were in the song's video?
It looks dated, but that video launched a thousand ships. Suddenly people wanted mini-movies; music videos that were shot on 16mm film. I still don't know how I managed to arch my eyebrow and suck my cheeks in at the same time, though.
Fixtures
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Try out the test yourself
Q1 Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 per cent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
a) More than $102
b) Exactly $102
c) Less than $102
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q2 Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 per cent per year and inflation was 2 per cent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
a) More than today
b) Exactly the same as today
c) Less than today
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
Q4 Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”
a) True
b) False
d) Do not know
e) Refuse to answer
The “Big Three” financial literacy questions were created by Professors Annamaria Lusardi of the George Washington School of Business and Olivia Mitchell, of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Answers: Q1 More than $102 (compound interest). Q2 Less than today (inflation). Q3 False (diversification).
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
