Midge Ure makes admission about Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Co-written in 1984 by Midge Ure – also known as James ‘Midge’ Ure – and Bob Geldof, the holiday classic was created to raise money for the 1983 to 1985 famine in Ethiopia and was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup which included Bono, George Michael, Duran Duran and Sting.

(Image: Image credit: Nathan Roach) Since the 80s, the charity tune has been covered by a host of different singers like Chris Martin, Kylie Minogue and Robbie Williams and has appeared on Christmas compilations and festive films.

But when the Glasgow Times asked Midge Ure if he thought the song would take off in the way it has, his honest answer was, “Oh God, no.”

He continued: “I thought it was an incredibly average song. I remember working on it with Bob and thinking, ‘This song has no chorus’. It was the antithesis of everything I had tried to do.

“As a songwriter, you want to create something that is memorable and sticks in people’s minds, and I didn’t think the song had any of that.”

(Image: Image credit: Alan Wild) After the song was released, Ure and Geldof famously organised Live Aid – a two-venue benefit concert to raise further funds for relief of the Ethiopian famine.

The iconic event, which took place both in Philadelphia and London on July 13, 1985, created a shift amongst Londoners, according to Midge.

He added: “In the car on the way back from the event, I remember looking out the window. The car was going very slowly because everyone had just left Wembley.

“For the first time ever, I saw people in London opening their front doors, blasting Live Aid, inviting strangers to come in to watch the rest of it. That never ever happened in London. You didn’t know your neighbours, or who lived above you and below you.

“There was something tangible, it felt like Hogmanay. People just welcomed complete strangers in because the music had resonated so strongly with them. That was just incredible.”

(Image: Image credit: Andy Siddens) Midge is now gearing up to return to Glasgow this summer for a very special gig.

The star, who was previously a member of bands like of Thin Lizzy and Rich Kids before going solo, will be performing at the Kelvingrove Bandstand on June 6.

The show is part of the new series, Big Nights Out, which will see live performances at the Kelvingrove Bandstand and Queens Park Arena over several nights in May, June and July.

Midge said: “The bandstand looks fantastic. I’ve never seen anybody there, I wasn’t totally aware of it.”

He added: “I just absolutely love coming home. I still call it home. My entire family – although none of my girls were born there – love going to Scotland. It’s in their genes.

“Glasgow is a place that doesn’t leave you, not at all. I’m very proud to be Scottish.”

The upcoming show comes as part of Midge’s Catalogue - The Hits Tour, which started last year and was born out of Midge’s performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London for his 70th birthday.

He explained: “I pushed the envelope a wee bit at that show and performed songs I wouldn’t usually do. It was such a great night; I figured we should expand it a wee bit.

“I do songs back from Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Ultravox and solo stuff and it’s been such a joy to go back and revisit those older songs.

“If you landed from Mars in Kelvingrove and wondered what a ‘Midge Ure’ is, this would give you a very good indication of what Midge Ure has done over the years.”

To buy tickets for the show, visit www.ents24.com/glasgow-events/kelvingrove-park/midge-ure/7229492