WHEN you look at his CV, there isn’t much that Midge Ure hasn’t achieved.

Forever remembered as one of the driving forces behind Live Aid, the genial Scot has had success all over the world – first with Ultravox and then as a solo artist.

He’s in demand as a commentator on the music industry and the leading figure in developing new talent.

But on May 22 he will just be, as he puts it, “a man with a guitar” as he comes to King George’s Hall in Blackburn.

“It’s very much a stripped down affair,” he said, “it’s just me and a handful of songs although I might bring up a small synthesisers for a couple of them.”

Certainly it will be a far cry from some of his more recent stage outings, playing some of Europe’s bigger venues with Ultravox celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the single Vienna.

“The acoustic show is an utterly different experience, it’s the antithesis of Ultravox where everything is totally controlled. That’s a totally conscious thing for me.

“When you’ve got an audience right in front of you there’s nowhere to hide and it’s all down to the song.”

Earlier solo tours saw Midge spending much of the show chatting with the audience and answering questions but this time round it’s focused on the music.

“I have a bunch of songs in front of me and I sort of stick to the start and the end but in the middle it can go anywhere,” he said.

“And yes I have been known to forget the words or sing the same verse twice, particularly my own songs.

“Unlike the fans who play them all the time and listen to them in their cars on the way to the gig I don’t always know all the words.

"I actually have to relearn my songs for a tour like this.”

For Midge, music is still his life.

“When I’m not touring I’ll go in the studio,” he said.

“I dabble every day. I don’t just sit down and write a song, things evolve over time.

"In my experience you might have a theme or a hook line but the end product is often totally different from the starting point.”

Midge has been hard at work on his latest venture which will launch in the next two or three weeks.

“It’s a new website for independent musicians,” he said.

“When you consider the wealth of talent there is in the UK, yet you never get the chance to hear something new.

“Only 6 Music offers listeners something different and that is under threat.

"In America you can tune into all sorts of diverse radio stations.

“The website will give independent musicians and bands the tools to get their songs heard and will also make downloads available.”

Midge decided to set up the site – www.tunited.com – after talking to business leaders.

“They asked me to describe my own industry and I said it was in poor shape and they said ‘why don’t you do something about it?’, so I did,” he said.

“It’s really exciting to see the whole project come to fruition.

“There is so much talent which needs encouragement.”

* Midge Ure is at King George's Hall, Blackburn, on Saturday, May 22. Tickets are £17.50. Call 0844 8471664.