“I guess that’s the thing about reggae; it’s a never-ending story.”
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“Everyone understand the music because that bass and those drums say more than a 1000 words ever could.”
Introduction
Being a UB40 fan can get quite confusing.
Ali Campbell – for many, the face and voice of the Birmingham-based reggae stalwarts – quit the band rather dramatically in 2008. Media stories at the time seemed to suggest that he’d had a massive bust-up with both management and co-vocalist brother, Robin.
Initially, Campbell toured and recorded solo, but in 2014, he reunited with a couple of other former UB40 members, Astro and Mickey Virtue; the trio are currently touring as ‘UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey’. Meanwhile, the remaining band members continue as plain old UB40 – they recently voiced their support for Jeremy Corbyn – and are locked in a legal dispute with Ali Campbell for use of the name.
Are you with us so far?
Maybe Campbell himself can explain. “What’s that saying? You can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family,” sighs the 57-year-old with a sad shake of his head. “My own brother is fighting me for the name and we haven’t spoken for years. Terrible, really. But I think the fans know the score and they seem to be sticking by us.
It may have started on a small island in the Caribbean, but Reggae’s become an international music.
“There’s not much more I can say… we just want to keep moving forward and keep making music.”
Although, their coffee-table 80s hits banished them to the critical hinterland, those that really know their reggae will tell you there was much more to UB40 than Red Red Wine and I Got You Babe. Tracks like Tyler (from their 1980 debut, Signing Off) and One In Ten (from 1981’s Present Arms) were as angry and insightful as anything you’ll find in that post-punk period; the band also introduced dub into the UK mainstream with an experimental remix of Present Arms.
Backfired
“We’d been listening to King Tubby and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry for years,” explains Campbell, “so we thought we’d try and make a proper dub album. Unfortunately, it kind of backfired. People started returning the album in droves, complaining that there was something wrong with it. They were walking into record shops saying, ‘Half the instruments are missing and there are weird echoes all over the place’.”
While the ‘other’ UB40 were busy rubbing shoulders with Corbyn over the summer, Campbell, Astro and Virtue put together an acoustic double-album of greatest hits and will be touring with reggae legends, the Wailers.
“There has been a lot of unhappiness connected with the Wailers,” says Campbell. “We lost Bob, Peter Tosh, drummer Carlton Barrett, but I’m very proud to say that his brother [bassist] Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett will be out there on stage for this tour.
“I guess that’s the thing about reggae; it’s a never-ending story. No matter what else happens, the music is always there… growing, evolving. It may have started on a small island in the Caribbean, but it’s become an international music. Doesn’t matter if English isn’t your first language, doesn’t matter if you don’t understand patois… everyone understand the music because that bass and those drums say more than a 1000 words ever could.”
UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell, Astro & Mickey Virtue are touring the UK next year
Friday 19 May – Inverness, Northern Meeting Park
Saturday 20 May – Dundee, Slessor Gardens
Friday 26 May – Wrexham, The Racecourse Ground
Saturday 27 May – Coventry, Butts Park Arena
Sunday 28 May – Darlington, Northern Echo Arena
Friday 02 June – Carlisle, Brunton Park
Saturday 03 June – Canterbury, Spitfire Ground
Saturday 10 June – Llanelli, Parcs Y Scarlets
Sunday 11 June – Taunton Racecourse*
Friday 16 June – Blackpool, Bloomfield Road
Saturday 17 June – Newark Festival, Riverside Park
Friday 30 June – Scarborough Open Air Theatre
Saturday 12 August – Chelmsford City Racecourse