Ultravox, Visage and Band Aid star Midge Ure heading for Sign of the Times festival in Little Hadham

Former Ultravox singer, Band Aid legend and solo star Midge Ure will perform hit after hit at Little Hadham’s Sign of the Times festival.

The writer behind the second biggest-selling single in UK chart history has joined the Friday night line-up for the three-day event at Church End next summer.

Ure, currently on the road with his Catalogue: The Hits Tour, will appear on the main stage on June 20.

Fans can expect to hear all their favourite Ultravox tracks, including All Stood Still, The Thin Wall, The Voice and Reap the Wild Wind as well as Vienna, the 1981 classic kept off the top of the charts by Joe Dolce and his novelty single Shaddap You Face.

Ure has an impeccable music pedigree. After turning down an offer from Malcolm McLaren to join the Sex Pistols, he scored a number one hit, Forever and Ever, with Slik.

In 1977 he joined former Sex Pistols bass player Glen Matlock in the Rich Kids, working closely with Rusty Egan.

He went on to form Visage with Egan, singer Steve Strange and Ultravox keyboard player Billy Currie among others.

After a disappointing debut with Tar, their second single, Fade to Grey, was a hit across Europe in November 1980.

After two successful albums, Ure left the band following conflict with Strange.

Egan and Currie persuaded him to join an Ultravox reboot after former lead singer John Foxx quit.

At the same time, Ure went on tour with Phil Lynnott’s Thin Lizzy and went on to co-write Lynott’s biggest solo hit, Yellow Pearl.

His recording and performing frenzy with three bands at the start of the 1980s was followed by Band Aid in 1984.

Press-ganged into action by Bob Geldof, he co-wrote and produced the charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas? The track has sold more than 3.7 million copies in the UK – second only to Candle in the Wind 1997 by Elton John.

Ure will be joined on the Friday night bill by drum and bass MC turned singer-songwriter Billy Rowan, aka The Undercover Hippy, and indie rock favourites The Twang.

Formed in Birmingham in 2004, singer Phil Etheridge, bassist Jon Watkin, guitarist Stu Hartland and drummer ‘Grandmaster’ Ash Sheehan released The Twang’s debut single, Wide Awake, in March 2007.

Sign of the Times has already announced a raft of other stars appearing at the June 20-22 festival, including Haircut One Hundred, Newton Faulkner, Ferocious Dog and Los Pacaminos with Paul Young.

For more details see www.signofthetimesfestival.co.uk.