UB40 are heading back to the heart of Birmingham thanks to the launch of the Digbeth Loc Studios. As if to prove the old adage that ‘what goes around, comes around’, they will be working just yards from where they used to have their own studios inside a former abattoir – and 18 years ago were dreaming of a legacy of a creative quarter with local apartments.

Three members of the band were on Fazeley Street for the launch of Digbeth Loc Studios inside the former ‘canal carriers’ building of Fellows, Morton & Clayton (FMC). Their visit brought back memories of working just around the corner at 1 Andover Street where they had their own studios, DEP International – and of their own similar vision 18 years ago for how the whole area could be redeveloped as a creative quarter.

UB40 are heading back to the heart of Birmingham thanks to the launch of the Digbeth Loc Studios. As if to prove the old adage that ‘what goes around, comes around’, they will be working just yards from where they used to have their own studios inside a former abattoir – and 18 years ago were dreaming of a legacy of a creative quarter with local apartments.

Three members of the band were on Fazeley Street for the launch of Digbeth Loc Studios inside the former ‘canal carriers’ building of Fellows, Morton & Clayton (FMC). Their visit brought back memories of working just around the corner at 1 Andover Street where they had their own studios, DEP International – and of their own similar vision 18 years ago for how the whole area could be redeveloped as a creative quarter.

Just a few more yards around the next corner at the point where Banbury Street meets New Canal Street, was the famous Eagle & Tun pub – demolished by HS2 in October 2020. Today, the DEP site is a ‘bombsite’ car park and the former Eagle & Tun land is currently home to a stack of portable buildings for workers now probably oblivious to the fact that it was used in UB40’s Red Red Wine video and more recently by Ed Sheeran and grime artists Jaykae and Aitch.

Read more: Peaky Blinders movie to start filming in Birmingham ‘soon’ amid new city studio

At the official launch of Digbeth Loc, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight said the FMC building was one of his favourites in the world, and every time he went inside it brought memories flooding back of being taken to places like that by his late father. Steven said: “The fact that we are not knocking this building down and building flats is so, so important.

“Film talents are getting bored of going to Eastern Europe and one of the alternatives is to be in the middle of a field. Here you open those big, lovely doors and you are in the heart of Digbeth in a thriving, lively place and Birmingham city centre is within view. People devote six months, a year of their lives to making productions and you want to live your life as well.”

How Eastside is being transformed: HS2 demolished the Eagle & Tun pub (orange square) in October 2020. UB40’s former DEP International studios were on Andover Street (blue circle). MasterChef will begin broadcasting from the former Banana Warehouse (green hexagon) and the main new Digbeth Loc Studio (red arrow) launched by Steven Knight will be in the long, rectangular former Fellows, Morton and Clayton Canal Carriers building off Fazeley Street and where UB40 hope they will have an office and studio. (Image: Google Maps)
Just back from tours of the US, UK Australia and New Zealand before playing a giant festival in Mexico, UB40 drummer James Brown told a press launch: “It’s just great to be moving into Birmingham city again after a couple of decades. We are really looking forward to it. It’s a really exciting project and I hope everything goes well.”

Flanked by James and percussionist and trombone player Norman Hassan, bass player Earl Falconer added: “We met Steven some six months ago and he’s so full of enthusiasm. We love the city as much as Steven and anything like this is just brilliant.

“We just used to be over the road there, so moving back into the area, coming back into Birmingham every day to work is going to be fantastic. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Robin Campbell could not attend as he is on holiday following the festival in Mexico. The band’s next performance in Birmingham will be in Moseley Park on Sunday, August 27, in a 45th anniversary outdoor summer concert called The Homecoming.

UB40 stars Norman Hassan (percussion and trombone, left), bass player Earl Falconer and drummer James Brown help to launch the Digbeth Loc Studios inside the former Fellows, Morton and Clayton Canal Carriers building off Fazeley Street (Image: Graham Young / BirminghamLive)

The vision 18 years ago

Long before the book Blood and Fire was published in 2005 with the strapline ‘The autobiography of the UB40 brothers’, nobody could have foreseen that the relationship between guitarist brother Robin Campbell and long departed former lead singer Ali Campbell would turn so toxic. Especially as their singing father Ian Campbell used to run The Jug O’ Punch, Europe’s biggest folk club for many years at Digbeth Civic Hall on High Street Deritend.

The casualties in the first decade of this century included the band’s own DEP International record label which lasted from 1980 to 2008, as well as the DEP International studios site.

But with no benefit of hindsight, the book makes it clear that in 2005 UB40 were not only thinking ahead at that point but, in the context of Digbeth’s current transition, were able to see the area’s potential.

Further along Fazeley Street, The Bond has now been redeveloped as an £18 million Film and TV production centre that will open within days. Next year, MasterChef will be based in the former Banana Warehouse which, like the FMC building, is next to the Grand Union Canal. In 2025, the BBC will move from the Mailbox and into The Tea Factory home that was once run by Typhoo – whereas in 2005 thought that Central might make the move from Gas Street to Eastside to help to kickstart

its renaissance.

In the Blood and Fire book (2005), UB40 had this to say about the area close to the new Digbeth Loc Studios: ‘We want to set up a foundation for musicians, the performing arts, technicians and engineers. We want people to know that, if you want to work in this business, you don’t have to travel outside of Birmingham. There is a hell of a lot of talent in this town.

‘We own the entire plot of land around DEP, which is ripe for redevelopment as a residential zone, so there is every chance that we will sell up and eventually move from our current base to ensure that is underway. We already have planning permission to build apartments here and agreement with a developer is apparently on its way. Obviously that would be a big financial manoeuvre but after the topsy-turvy fortunes of the band, we’ve always looked upon it as our pension’.

What the band says today

UB40’s co-manager Matt Campbell said the band had first met Steven Knight prior to the Commonwealth Games and were so impressed with his vision they were hoping to have an office and a studio on the Digbeth Loc site.

Matt said: “It’s early days and something we are in discussions with, but we are all very serious about it and are just getting some plans in place. Going there will mean having a ‘home’ again. We are currently halfway through recording an album of classic songs and new material that will be out later this year to celebrate our 45th anniversary.

“We don’t need to be there immediately because that is already being recorded. We’re working outside of Birmingham in a place that’s convenient for some and not for all of us, so to come back into the middle of Birmingham will be great.

“We want to have an educational element to it, as well. Jimmy said the band always had those kind of seed ideas, just not on the scale that Steven is doing. Our new studio could also be used for post-production stuff for films and other audio as well.

“Brummies have proved themselves so many times, they just don’t go shouting about it. But Steven is pushing everything into the stratosphere.