Live Aid wouldn't happen today because everyone is too glued to their phones, claims Ultravox frontman Midge Ure
The former Ultravox frontman – who organised the mega-concert with Bob Geldof – says that while technological advances should make putting on such a large event easier, they have also brought with them too many distractions.
Live Aid saw rock royalty take to the stage simultaneously at Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia 40 years ago today and was watched by more than two billion people worldwide – raising an astonishing £150 million for African famine relief.
Ure, 71, told the Today programme on BBC Radio 4: 'Everyone's all over the place. Everyone's too busy looking at screens.
'Technically, you could organise it easier, but these days you have so many distractions.
'Forty years ago, music was the be all and end all. You didn't have smartphones. You didn't have the internet. You didn't have 24-hour anything at all.
'There were no distractions. You had no video games. You had none of that stuff. So, you could focus.'
He added: 'I can't quite believe I'm still here and the fact that we're still talking about Band Aid and Live Aid at 40 years old, it's quite magnificent.
'It's a life beyond the life we ever thought it would have.'
Ure said that the concert was organised over three months using telephone and telex to book artists with Geldof telling white lies about who was signed up.
He said: 'I think the reality is that Bob lied, quite blatantly, when he announced Live Aid.
'He said that various people were doing it when they hadn't actually agreed. It was a little bit of Bob manipulation really.'
He brushed off criticism which has seen Live Aid accused of 'white saviourhood', arguing that watching millions die of starvation in Africa would have been worse.
Recalling when he fronted a radio programme for the BBC about a children's circus in South Africa, he said: 'I was speaking to the person that ran the circus who was trying to integrate all the kids there, all the different ethnicities.
'And I said, "Well, how does that help?" And he said, "Well, if you're 30ft off the ground on a trapeze, and somebody reaches a hand out to grab you, you don't care what colour that hand is". And that's exactly what we did.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
I know the real Helena and the truth about her being a ‘good time girl' – Love Island have set her up to look bad
SHE has been cruelly trolled for letting Harry Cooksley walk all over her in the Love Island villa, for 'being open' and even for laughing too much. The reaction has left those close to Helena Ford shocked and saddened, and determined to clear her name. 5 5 5 One person who thinks Helena has been unfairly treated is her close friend and long time hairdresser, who says: 'She's had a rough time in there - the way that people are portraying her on social media, it's just so unfair.' Natalie Clayton, who owns NCWeave in Merseyside, has been doing Helena's hair for the last four years and did it just before she entered the villa. She has explained why people might think Helena is a 'good time girl', after Harry branded her that. She told us: 'I think she knows what Harry is like, and she's never been in a relationship before, and that's what people are forgetting, because she's just, she's just having fun. 'She doesn't take life too seriously. She is one for just having fun and living her best life.' The 29-year-old has been open about the fact she's never had a relationship before and Natalie thinks she's just embracing it all - rather than being bogged down in the details of relationships. 'Because of her job and her lifestyle, I don't think she's just ever thought about settling down yet,' Natalie told us. 'She loves travelling, she loves going out with her friends. So I think she's just never met that right person where she's wanted to settle down with them.' On Love Island Helena has mostly been coupled up with Harry but has gained the reputation of someone who is very flirty with the opposite sex. Bella Rose Hair & Beauty owner Natalie believes that Helena, who travels three hours just to get her extensions there, has been edited to look a certain way. She said: 'I think maybe the clips that have been heard have made it worse because I do think that Shakira has been worse with her than Helena has with Shakira and I don't understand why people can't see that coming across. 'At the end of the day they've just got a similar type and they've both gone for the same person and then she's been portrayed like she keeps going for her men. 'But you can see Helena was shocked at that because she's not even realised and just been like we've got the same type and she was joking about it. 'And then I think Shakira, from what's been heard, she's been talking about Helena a hell of a lot more.' Natalie said her reaction to laugh at so many things is because she isn't a fan of confrontation. 'She just likes to keep herself to herself in her own little bubble and she just wants to be friends with everyone and get on with everyone,' she told us. 'I know people are saying she said this and that, but you can see by the things that she's done, she just doesn't take life seriously.' And Natalie thinks she has what it takes to win the show, telling us: 'I would absolutely love her to win the show because it has been great TV. 'Whether people have liked her or not liked her, I think if she hadn't been in there it could have been very boring!' Love Island 2025 full lineup Harry Cooksley: A 30-year-old footballer with charm to spare. Shakira Khan: A 22-year-old Manchester-based model, ready to turn heads. Megan Moore: A payroll specialist from Southampton, looking for someone tall and stylish. Alima Gagigo: International business graduate with brains and ambition. Tommy Bradley: A gym enthusiast with a big heart. Helena Ford: A Londoner with celebrity connections, aiming to find someone funny or Northern. Ben Holbrough: A model ready to make waves. Dejon Noel-Williams: A personal trainer and semi-pro footballer, following in his footballer father's footsteps. Aaron Buckett: A towering 6'5' personal trainer. Conor Phillips: A 25-year-old Irish rugby pro. Antonia Laites: Love Island's first bombshell revealed as sexy Las Vegas pool party waitress. Yasmin Pettet: The 24-year-old bombshell hails from London and works as a commercial banking executive. Emily Moran: Bombshell Welsh brunette from the same town as Love Island 2024 alumni Nicole Samuel. Harrison Solomon: Pro footballer and model entering Love Island 2025 as a bombshell. Giorgio Russo: The 30-year-old will be spending his summer in the sun, potentially his sister Alessia's successful tournament at the Euros in Switzerland. Yaz Broom: Professional DJ from Manchester who appeared on X Factor 2016 in girl group Four of Diamonds. Andrada Pop: Miss Bikini Ireland 2019 winner who hails from Dublin and works as a nail technician and personal trainer. Emma Munro: Harry Cooksley's ex who entered as a bombshell and works as a hydrogeologist. Departures: Kyle Ashman: Axed after an arrest over a machete attack emerged. He was released with no further action taken and denies any wrongdoing. Sophie Lee: A model and motivational speaker who has overcome adversity after suffering life-changing burns in an accident. Blu Chegini: A boxer with striking model looks, seeking love in the villa. Malisha Jordan: A teaching assistant from Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, who entered Love Island 2025 as a bombshell. Shea Mannings: Works as a scaffolder day-to-day and plays semi-pro football on the side. Caprice Alexandra: The 26-year-old bombshell owns a nursery in Romford. Poppy Harrison: The bombshell broke up with her boyfriend after finding out she would be in the villa Will Means: The fourth fittest farmer in the UK according to Farmers' Weekly in 2023 entered the villa as a bombshell Megan Clarke: An Irish actress part of the OG line-up. Remell Mullins: Boasts over 18million likes and 500k followers on TikTok thanks to his sizzling body transformation videos. Alima Gagigo: 23-year-old personal banker from Glasgow who fancies herself as a 'good flirt'.
Scotsman
17 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rock singer Fish turns down honorary degree from University of Edinburgh amid Israel protests
Fish decided to turn down the honorary doctorate on Tuesday. | Corbis via Getty Images Fish said he was in an 'incredibly awkward' position. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish rock singer Fish has turned down an honorary degree from the University of Edinburgh. Fish, real name Derek Dick, completed the UK-leg of his final tour earlier this year before he set sail to retirement on his croft in the Outer Hebrides. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The former Marillion frontman arrived in Edinburgh alongside his wife Simone Rösler at the weekend ahead of being awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh's Archaeology department. However, after discovering previous reporting of protests around the university's investments linked to Israel, he announced in a post to social media that he decided to turn the degree down. Fish decided to turn down the honorary doctorate on Tuesday. | Corbis via Getty Images Fish said that, on Monday, 'the sky fell in' when he was sitting alone on the couch and he received a notification on his phone. 'It [the day] had all started so well but then my phone pinged and the sky fell in,' he said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'At first glance, I'd been sent a report about a large student protest about the genocide in Palestine but then as I read deeper into the article it took on a darker significance. 'I'd completely missed previous reporting about Edinburgh University having been unpatched from a lot of media while on the island and caught up with our own issues.' He added that he spoke with his family about the situation and they were all supportive. Fish also added that the University communications team understood his position. The ex-singer said: 'The way I saw it there were three choices. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Accept the award, ignore the elephant in the room and say nothing. This would leave me wide open to rightful questions being asked about my own values and I would be asking myself those questions too. 'Accept the award and make my points in a condemning speech. I'd still have the consequences of the first option to deal with and probably come off as more of a hypocrite. 'Decline the award and walk away.' He said he decided to make the decision to decline the award and walk away. He added: 'At the end of the day the doctorate wouldn't have changed my life and I'm never going to regret yesterday's decision. 'My conscience is clear in that respect, and I feel I made a statement no matter how small. It felt good.'
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Tim Davie insists he is fit to lead the BBC in the ‘right way' amid scandals
BBC director-general Tim Davie has asserted his ability to guide the corporation "in the right way", even as it grapples with a string of recent reputational crises. The broadcaster has faced significant scrutiny in recent months, including breaches of its own editorial accuracy guidelines, the controversial livestreaming of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury performance, and recent misconduct allegations involving Gregg Wallace, the former presenter of MasterChef. The corporation's annual report showed that Mr Davie, who has been in the role since 2020, has had a 3.8 per cent pay rise with his salary going up £20,000 from £527,000 last year to £547,000. Mr Davie was asked during the release of the corporation's 2024/2025 annual report on Tuesday whether he would resign. He said: 'I simply think I'm in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way. 'We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I've been very clear, and I think we have been decisive. 'There's enormous, massive noise and different opinions about what we should do, but I think we have been clear. We are making the right decisions. We're being transparent on what we do, and I think that's what counts. I would also say that under my tenure, I've set a very clear stall out in terms of impartiality. 'I think we're setting a global standard in terms of public service broadcasting and media. 'Under my leadership, and the team I've assembled, I think we feel very passionately about that. ' One of the things that I focus on, as a leader, is there has never been a more important time for public service broadcasting. ' Gaza has been the most challenging editorial issue I've had to deal with, but the importance of fair, balanced reporting, the need for high quality, homegrown programming in the face of massive pressure, I think, has never, ever been greater. 'I believe my leadership and the team I've assembled can really help the leadership thrive in that environment.' This comes after a review conducted by Peter Johnston, the director of editorial complaints and reviews – which is independent of BBC News, and published on Monday, found its documentary, Gaza: Surviving a Warzone, breached BBC editorial guidelines on accuracy for failing to disclose details of the narrator's father. The report did not find any other breaches of editorial guidelines, including breaches of impartiality and also found no evidence that 'outside interests' 'inappropriately impacted on the programme'. Since the report was published, broadcasting regulator Ofcom announced it would investigate the documentary under its own broadcasting code, which states that factual programmes 'must not materially mislead the audience'. Dr Samir Shah, BBC chair, added: 'I want to be absolutely clear that I and the board support Tim Davie's leadership fully. 'He has shown very confident and decisive leadership in a very, very challenging environment, right from the start 'The number of issues of vision from people behaving badly to News in some cases, when it's appropriate, decisively and shouldn't do it all, in other cases, 'We are the BBC, and we will do this properly. We do it fairly, we do it correctly, and we will then take action. That's where we are at the moment. 'Tim Davie and his team, and Tim in particular, has shown very strong leadership throughout all this period, and he has my full support.' Dr Shah also said in the annual report: 'The BBC is a wonderful place to work. Our staff are dedicated, hard-working and treat each other with respect. However, there are pockets in the organisation where this is not the case. 'There are still places where powerful individuals – on and off-screen – can abuse that power to make life for their colleagues unbearable.'
