Visage were a British synthpop band, formed in London in 1978. The band became closely linked to the burgeoning New Romantic fashion movement of the early 1980s, and are best known for their hit 'Fade to Grey' which was released in late 1980.
Beetle-browed Having prominent, shaggy eyebrows; scowling, sullen. Although the exact origin of this expression is unknown, it has been suggested that the reference is to the short-tufted antennae, analogous to eyebrows, protruding at right angles from the head of some types of beetles. The phrase appeared in William Langland’s Piers Plowman in 1362.bug-eyed See.fish eye A blank or quizzical gaze; a hostile stare. The vacuity of piscine eyes is clearly the source of this phrase. The following illustration is cited in Webster’s Third. If she be gag-toothed tell her some merry jest to make her laugh.
(John Lyly, Euphues, the Anatomy of Wit, 1579)grin like a Cheshire cat To grin broadly and mysteriously; to be constantly smiling widely for no apparent reason. The phrase usually carries connotations of smugness or vacuousness.
The expression, which dates from the late 18th century, gained currency because of the perpetually grinning cat in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865). The phrase appeared in response to Alice’s question as to why the Duchess’ cat grinned so broadly and inscrutably. “Pr’y thee, how did the fool look?” “Look! Egad, he look’d for all the world like an owl in an ivy bush.” (Jonathan Swift, Polite Conversation, 1738)poker face An expressionless face; a visage which does not reveal one’s thoughts or emotions; a dead pan. In poker, it is essential that a player not tip his hand by showing emotion in his face, lest the other players bet accordingly and thus limit his winnings or increase his losses.
Though still applicable to the card game, poker face is also used figuratively in many varied contexts.
.Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter, producerInstrumentsVocals, guitar, keyboards, synthesizerYears active1972–presentAssociated acts, Misfits,WebsiteJames Ure (born 10 October 1953) better known as Midge Ure, is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and producer. His stage name, Midge, is a of Jim, the form of his actual name.Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and '80s in bands including, and, and most notably as frontman of. In 1984, Ure co-wrote and produced the charity single ', which has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK. The song is the second highest selling single in UK chart history. Ure co-organised, and with.
He acts as a trustee for the charity and also serves as an ambassador for.Ure is the producer and writer of several other / hit singles of the 1980s, including ' (1980) by Visage and the Ultravox signature songs ' (1980) and ' (1984). Ure achieved his first UK top 10 solo hit in 1982 with '.
In 1985, his solo debut album reached number two in the and yielded the UK number one single, '. Ure also co-wrote 's ', which served as the theme of for much of the 1980s. Ultravox (Midge Ure) in concert, April 1984In 1981, Ultravox recorded their second album with Ure as frontman, which was a Top 5 hit in the UK.
After its release Ure and Currie reconvened with Visage to record the band's second album,. Released in early 1982, it was a Top 10 hit; but Ure left the band soon after its release, citing creative differences with frontman Steve Strange. The same year saw Ultravox record and release their third album with Ure, with production by producer. The album became their third Top 10 hit and featured four Top 20 singles. This period saw Ure work as a producer for other artists, amongst them, and, and in 1982 he released his first solo single, a cover of the 1968 song ' (based on the 1975 hit cover version by ), which made the UK Top 10.After the live album in 1983 Ultravox released their fourth studio album with Ure, in 1984. The album was another Top 10 success and contained the Top 3 hit '.
The band released their first 'greatest hits' album at the end of the year, featuring all the singles from 1980 onwards. The album peaked at no.2 in the UK and was later certified triple platinum.After Ure's successful debut solo album in 1985, the fifth and final Ultravox album with Ure, was released in 1986. Although another Top 10 hit, the album (and singles) fared less well than their earlier releases. After the end of the U-Vox Tour Ure left Ultravox. He stated in an Extreme Voice Fanzine 1991: 'The spark kind of went out of it for me, Live Aid and Band Aid had a lot to do with it, I suppose. We had a long break from each other and when we came back together we were all working in different directions'.In April 2009, Ure and the other members (Cann, Currie and Cross) reformed Ultravox for the Return to Eden tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Vienna album, and in their own words, the 'anniversary of their classic line-up'. Ure stated in a BBC interview in April 2009, 'we are not trying to get our youth back, nor the hair that's fallen off already'.
After appearing at the Isle of Wight 2009 Festival Ultravox followed up the next year with a second round of the tour. In late 2010, Ultravox started working on their sixth album fronted by Ure. This album, titled, was released in May 2012. Following this release the band embarked on the 'Brilliant Tour' performing shows in the UK and Europe in late 2012. In November 2013, Ultravox were special guests on a four-date arena tour with.Band Aid and charity work In 1984, Ure co-wrote the hit, ' with. Ure was rehearsing with Ultravox for an episode of the music show ' when host handed him the phone. It was her then husband, Geldof, who proceeded, recalls Ure, 'to rant on about the BBC news report on the Ethiopian famine'.
Geldof provided the initial lyrics, with Ure working the musical theme on a small keyboard in his kitchen. The second half was composed by Ure, with the bridging chorus only assembled in the studio when the artists had gathered. Ure has described the song as not one of the best he has ever written, commenting that 'the momentum the artists gave it in the recording studio is what made it'.At the studio recording Ure took on the production duties for the song. Although had been approached to undertake this role, he needed more time to fulfil other obligations than was available. Ure stepped into the breach, with Horn providing his studio, remixing the track and producing the 12' version.
Ure and Geldof jointly set up the, and he remains active as a Band Aid Trustee. He also co-organised the concert of 1985 along with Geldof. Geldof and Ure have been honoured with two Ivor Novello awards for writing the song.In 1988, Ure helped to organise the, which he also performed at. He has also been the Musical Director and performed at rock concerts in 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2010 and 2011.Ure performed at on 15 September 1997 to raise funds for the Caribbean island of.
It had been devastated by in 1989 and again in 1997, when the island was impacted by volcanic activity. Ure himself lost a house on Montserrat, which was destroyed.On 24 July 1999, Ure was the Musical Director of the Wicked Women concert for the charity held at in London, featuring artists like and.In 2005, he organised concerts with with the aim of pressing leaders into taking action to end world poverty. Later that year he was appointed an Officer of the (OBE) for services to music and charity in the.
He has received five honorary degrees and was made an Honorary in 2005 by the for his artistic and charity work over the past 30 years. He was made a by in 2006. In 2007, he received his third honorary doctorate, from the, for his contribution to Scottish culture and charity work. In 2008, Glasgow Caledonian University awarded him his fourth honorary doctorate, for his musical and humanitarian achievements.Ure was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the in December 2010. As an ambassador for, Ure returned to in 2004 and 2009 and visited in 2006. Solo career. Midge Ure during Here and Now Tour 2011After working on the Band Aid project and during a hiatus from Ultravox, Ure pursued a solo career in 1985.
The single, ', was a UK number one single, and his debut album, reached No. 2. Ure recruited to play guitar on his upcoming solo tour.
They rehearsed, but financial disagreements and musical differences put an end to it, and took over in the five-piece band, alongside on keyboards and on drums. After returning to Ultravox for what would be their final album together, the band effectively disbanded in 1987 and Ure concentrated solely on his solo career but with less commercial success.The second album (1988) failed to make the UK top 20. It featured a duet with called 'Sister and Brother', and the single 'Dear God', which helped Ure gain his first foothold with American audiences. It reached #6 on the and at #4 on the US. The following year Ure toured in the US with.A change of label to - for his third solo album (1991) saw him back in the UK Top 40. It contained the single 'Cold, Cold Heart' which reached UK Top 20, and 'I See Hope in the Morning Light', a song written about the possible release of and recorded as a celebration. 11 November 1991, Ure played at the, with a five-piece band featuring drummer, multi-instrumentalist Willie Dowling and keyboard player.
From 22 March to 22 April 1992 Ure toured in the U.S. With four songwriters,. The tour was called 'In their own Words'.If I Was, a retrospective compilation of solo and Ultravox hits, was released in February 1993 by Chrysalis. To support the release he went on a tour in the U.K. Called 'Out Alone' which saw Ure performing on his own, accompanying himself primarily on just an acoustic guitar and a keyboard.
His fourth solo album (1996) was produced. This album had a very Celtic feel with a plethora of acoustic instruments from Uilleann pipes to mandolins and accordions. In 1998 the single ' became a hit-single, in several European countries boosted by its use in a TV ad campaign, two years after its original release. It entered at #1 both at the Italian and the Austrian charts.Ure also recorded the soundtrack to the American film, directed by,.Ures fifth solo album, was first released September 2000, on label in Germany, later to be released 2001 in the UK on. In March 2001 Ure was a Guest Star in on BBC1.In November 2004 Ure released his autobiography If I Was through Virgin books.In 2008 10 was released which contains Ure's own interpretations of songs that influenced him and shaped his songwriting. The album was recorded in a log cabin in Eastern Canada, near Montreal, during the long snow bound winter of 2007 – 2008.Ure continues to perform his own songs, along with popular Ultravox songs, in concerts both solo, acoustic and with a band. Ure visited the U.S.
In 2013 for a tour and did a number of concerts.Ure worked in over a decade on the next solo album, which was released on 7 July 2014. The album featured the song 'Dark, Dark Night', a collaboration with.On 1 December 2017, the Orchestrated album was released.
It features orchestrated re-recordings of Ultravox and solo career songs arranged by the composer Ty Unwin, and a new track called 'Ordinary Man'.Ure returned to North America in the summer of 2018 on a co-headline tour with, called 'The Soundtrack Of Your Life Tour'. In 2019 Ure continued to tour with The Band Electronica (Russell Field, Cole Stacey, Joseph O'Keefe) with 'The 1980 Tour', during which they perform Ultravox's Vienna album in full and also include highlights from Visage's self-titled debut album. Personal life Ure lives near.
He has been married twice: to actress and writer, and to Sheridan Forbes. He appeared on the 2007 series, winning his heat and progressing to the final on 15 June, alongside and.Ure is a recovering alcoholic, something he discusses in his autobiography If I Was.
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