Band Aid 30: Or, keeping Emeli Sande busy

Could there be anything worse than the Band Aid 30 idea?

Oh, hang on...

Announcing the project, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure said the song's lyrics would be changed to reflect the Ebola crisis.

This does give the impression that Bob and Midge had this conversation earlier in the year:

- Hey, it's the 30th anniversary, we should definitely do a Band Aid 30
- Who is this?
- It's Midge
- Midge Who?
- This isn't a knock-knock joke
- Oh, Midge. Hang on... how did you get this number?
- Jools Holland
- Bloody Jools. Anyway, what did you want?
- Band Aid. Band Aid 30.
- Oh. Yeah... but is there an African crisis we can help with?
- Well, Syria's in Africa...
- [silence]
- Bob?
- [silence]
- Bob?
- [silence]
- Well, I'm sure something will turn up...

God knows how they'll change the lyrics - "It's Christmastime, that's no time to die from ebola/ At Christmastime, we let in light and we wash our hands properly/ And our world of plenty handwash/ We can scrub our fingers clean/ Throw your arms around the world/ After checking its temperature, of course..."

Geldof and Ure, who masterminded the first version, said the project was nothing to do with nostalgia.

Then why call it after Band Aid, and mark the 30th anniversary, and use the same song that was used 30 years ago?

So far, confirmed artists include U2's Bono, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Emeli Sande, Underworld, Sinead O'Connor, Paloma Faith, Foals and Bastille, who have given up two arena dates to record their contribution.

Who would have guessed that Bono would be involved, eh?

But don't think this an insular British thing:

Versions will also be recorded in France, Germany and the US. "Think Daft Punk. Think Johnny Hallyday," said Geldof.

Ah, Johnny Hallyday - Bob's finger-on-the-pulse understanding of the Francophone music scene is, clearly, second to none.

As ever: it's lovely to raise money for charity, but you can donate right now to the DEC Ebola fund, and we don't need to make Emeli Sande do any singing at all.

Midge Ure: The Daily Mail is a piece of work

I know, I know that the Mail being like a word-flavoured tapeworm extruding from a mangy asshole isn't exactly news, but it's always useful to remember this.

Midge Ure has a new album out, and did an interview with the Mail to promote it. The interview was quite wide-ranging, covering not just the new work, but also how his head got turned by post-Live Aid adulation and how he nearly wrecked his life through excess.

Plenty, you might think, for a newspaper to focus on.

But not the Mail.

They went with this angle:

My father to father letter to my dear friend Bob: Midge Ure, who had known Peaches Geldof since she was a baby, on how he's tried to comfort his Live Aid mate

Inevitably, this makes the thing look like he's trying to use the death of a friend's child to sell a few albums, and the Mail comment area (or "the subtitles for the hard of thinking") rips into him,:

Chriatina, Chesterfield, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago
Why reveal you have sent a very personal letter to an old friend after the death of hia daughter. Jump on the band wagon of getting your name aired. I think its a disgrace no point in it what so ever .

Deedee, Kent, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago
This is not a heart felt letter, if Midge wants to write to Bob then he can. Why does the daily mail need to be involved. This is disgusting.

null, 1 hour ago
Comfort him by talking to the newspapers? All heart

Shropshire boy, Bridgnorth, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago
Nothing like publicity eh

But even some Mail readers, while waving their pitchforks, seem to sense that there's something a bit iffy here:

Gilliedew, Norfolk, 1 hour ago
I didn't like Midge using Peaches death in relation to his come back, Why? Isn't anything private, such as a letter to Bob at such a traumatic time in his life.Most probably it was the journalist sensationalizing it but why give them the chance, some friend I don't think.

Gilliedew, you nearly had a moment's clarity there, before you decided it was Midge's fault anyway for answering a question.

So there's the Mail's nice work for today: driving page impressions and selling ad space on a story that unfairly implies a man is using a death to sell records.

The Daily Mail is a piece of work.

They'll be playing support to Joe Dolce

Ultravox - the version fronted by Midge Ure, rather than the 1992 revival take - are selling tickets for a reunion tour next April:

10 Edinburgh Playhouse
(0870 228 1155)
18-22 Greenside Place, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 3AA
11 Glasgow Clyde
(0870 040 4000)
Finnieston Street, Glasgow, Scotland G3 8YW
13 Newcastle City Hall
(0191 261 2606)
Northumberland Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8SF
14 Manchester Apollo
(0844 477 7677)
Stockport Road, Manchester, Lancashire M12 6AP
15 Sheffield City Hall
(0114 278 9789)
Barkers Pool, Sheffield S1 2JA
17 Birmingham Symphony Hall
(0121 780 3333)
Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EA
18 Bristol Colston Hall
(0117 922 3686)
Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AR
20 Cardiff St. David's Hall
(0292 087 8444)
The Hayes, Cardiff, Wales CF10 1AH
21 Nottingham Royal Theatre
(0115 989 5555)
Theatre Square, Nottingham NG1 5ND
23 Brighton Dome
(0127 370 9709)
29 New Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UG
24 London Hammersmith Apollo
(0844 844 4748)
45 Queen Caroline Street, London W6 9QH
26 Bournemouth International Centre
(0844 576 3000)
Exeter Road, Bournemouth BH2 5BH
27 Plymouth Pavillion
(0845 146 1460)
Millbay Road, Plymouth PL1 3LF
28 Portsmouth Guildhall
(0239 282 4355)
Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO1 2AB

A return to Vienna

Ultravox - what Midge Ure did before he became the bagman for Bob Geldof - are re-releasing Rage In Eden and Vienna, both in luxurious double CD editions. September 22nd is the US release date; they're calling them the Remastered Definitive Editions, which means the best you can possibly imagine until they do the next re-release.

Ure going too fast

Midge Ure, pixiesque god-loving former Ultravox frontman turned up in the papers yesterday, being fined GBP500 for driving without due care and attention. We can only imagine he'd been driving with tears in his eyes.