UB40 FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL & ASTRO + GENTLEMAN’S DUB CLUB – BRIGHTON CENTRE 08.04.19
To save any confusion from the start we are referring to the UB40 featuring Ali Campbell & Astro in this review as things can get a tad confusing with now two versions of UB40 on the go.
To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what tonight’s concert at the Brighton Centre would entail as I had been a fan of the ‘original’ UB40 right from the beginning when I bought their debut 7” single ‘King’/’Food For Thought’ and was very fortunate of see them live as support to The Pretenders at the Brighton Dome on 11th October 1980, but so much water has passed under the bridge since then, that I was unclear as to how the sound of tonight’s gig would go.
That early concert supporting The Pretenders has always been a fond and memorable one for me as not only were UB40 in their infant days (having formed in 1978) with only their first couple of singles ‘King’/’Food For Thought’ and ‘My Way Of Thinking’/’I Think It’s Going To Rain Today’ and ‘Signing Off’ album out, but they were so good live that the crowd got them back on to do an encore. This is unheard of for a support band! Clearly they were going places….and indeed they were because a mere eight months later they were to perform at the larger Brighton Centre for the very first time on Saturday 20th June 1981, and yes I was there!
They returned to tonight’s venue (the Brighton Centre) on many more occasions and they were clearly on top of their game as they had amassed 17 Top 10 UK singles and 15 Top 10 UK albums.
I was enjoying their music and seeing them live at the Brighton Centre up until the mid-80’s and then they just dropped off of my radar.
Then after 30 years as the UB40 lead singer Ali Campbell left the band in 2008 siting business management issues and things got seriously tense between him and his brother Robin’s version of UB40. Ali was replaced by his older brother Duncan, who had missed out on fame by not being in the band, but was going to make up for lost time. Also in 2008 keyboardist Mickey Virtue left UB40, but reunited with Ali a few years later as did ‘toaster’/trumpeter Astro in 2013.
Just a few years ago I decided to go and see the other UB40 (less Ali, Astro and Mickey version) in Worthing and to be brutally honest, I wish that I hadn’t as they were to me likened to a tribute band and a shadow of their former selves. Having said that, a majority of the crowd really enjoyed themselves. So things this evening for the Ali and Astro version of UB40 didn’t really bode well. I was in for a shock!
The Brighton Centre was virtually full for this ‘A Real Labour Of Love 40th Anniversary Tour’ and there clearly had been a great amount of effort this evening with the stage screens and lighting, plus the crowd were well in the mood thanks to the brilliant support act Gentleman’s Dub Club – more on then later.
I got so much into this gig that I’m only about 95% sure that I have got the setlist correct, so if anyone disagrees with this list, then feel free to let me know. I believe that we were served 21 mainly bouncey-reggae tunes lifted from UB40’s back catalogue, with a heavy dose of ‘Labour Of Love’ 1 & 2.
For virtually all of the performance Ali just let the music talk for itself and there was only one referral to ‘the dark side’. There was nine of them on stage this evening and for me they totally blew the other UB40 out of the water and I certainly wasn’t expecting that. My friend even went as far to say that they were better than the original band, whereas I personally wouldn’t say that, but it was extremely close – who’d of thought it eh?
Choice cuts for me on the night were ‘King’, ‘Food For Thought’, ‘One In Ten’, ‘Fijian Sunset’, ‘Rat In Mi Kitchen’ and surprise package ‘Strive’ because of the fab keyboard sound.
Would I go and see this lot again? Hell yeah!
UB40 featuring Ali Campbell & Astro & Mickey setlist reads:
‘If It Happens Again’ (found on 1984 UB40 ‘Geffery Morgan’ album)
‘King’ (found on 1980 UB40 ‘Signing Off’ album)
‘Food For Thought’ (found on 1980 UB40 ‘Signing Off’ album)
‘Wear You To The Ball’ (found on 1989 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love II’ album) (The Paragons cover)
‘One In Ten’ (found on 1981 UB40 ‘Present Arms’ album)
‘Groovin’’ (found on 1989 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love II’ album) (Byron Lee & The Dragonaires cover)
‘Cherry Oh Baby’ (found on 1983 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love’ album) (Eric Donaldson cover)
‘Homely Girl’ (found on 1989 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love II’ album) (The Chi-Lites cover)
‘The Way You Do The Things You Do’ (found on 1989 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love II’ album) (The Temptations cover)
‘Version Girl’ (found on 1983 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love’ album) (Boy Friday aka Dandy Livingstone cover)
‘Bring Me Your Cup’ (found on 1993 UB40 ‘Promises And Lies’ album)
‘She Loves Me Now’ (found on 2017 UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey ‘A Real Labour Of Love’ album) (Beres Hammond cover)
‘Strive’ (found on 2017 UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey ‘A Real Labour Of Love’ album) (Shinehead aka Edmund Carl Aiken cover)
‘Telephone Love’ (found on 2017 UB40 featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey ‘A Real Labour Of Love’ album) (JC Lodge cover)
‘Impossible Love’ (found on 1989 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love II’ album) (Honey Boy aka Keith Williams cover)
‘Fijian Sunset’ (found on 2014 Ali Campbell Reunited With Astro & Mickey ‘Silhouette’ album)
‘Rat In Mi Kitchen’ (found on 1986 UB40 ‘Rat In The Kitchen’ album)
(encore)
‘Kingston Town’ (found on 1989 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love II’ album) (Lord Creator aka Kentrick Patrick cover)
‘Many Rivers To Cross’ (found on 1983 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love’ album) (Jimmy Cliff cover)
‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’ (found on 1993 UB40 ‘Promises And Lies’ album (Elvis Presley cover)
‘Red Red Wine’ (found on 1983 UB40 ‘Labour Of Love’ album) (Neil Diamond cover)
This version of UB40 on social media:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
As I said earlier, support came from the fabulous Gentleman’s Dub Club who are an uplifting smartly dressed 8 piece band formed in Leeds and very much in the mould of early UB40. I couldn’t think of any band more suited as a support tonight. Arguably some might highlight Dreadzone, but my argument would then be that would in fact be dual-headliners and not a support act.
I’m no stranger to GDC as I have really enjoyed their recent previous energetic live sets in Brighton when they performed as support to Orbital at Brighton Racecourse on 29th June 2018 (see my review HERE) and then headliners in their own right at the Concorde 2 on 4th October 2018 (read my review HERE).
I was overjoyed that GDC were playing tonight as they were only support for three nights of the tour, with the others having been Cardiff and London, but as they said tonight, that some of them grew up in Brighton so it’s just like a hometown gig for them.
It was also the perfect opportunity for me to purchase the guys latest album ‘Lost In Space’ (as I have all of the others) and to get it signed by three of the band members. There’s not really much I can add about this band that I haven’t previously said, other than if you enjoy early UB40 and wish to listen to smart uplifting reggae sounds, then arguably there is no-one better in the land than these guys. Once again a truly fab set tonight with the highlight for me being the extended dubby interlude style ‘High Grade’, being the pick of the bunch. Click on all of the tracks below to hear and enjoy them.
Gentleman’s Dub Club setlist reads:
‘Stardust’ (found on 2019 ‘Lost In Space’ album)
‘Midnight Healing’ (found on 2019 ‘Lost In Space’ album)
‘Dancing In The Breeze’ (found on 2017 ‘Dubtopia’ album)
‘Let A Little Love’ (found on 2017 ‘Dubtopia’ album)
‘Music Is The Girl I Love’ (found on 2015 ‘The Big Smoke’ album)
‘Out Of This World’ (found on 2019 ‘Lost In Space’ album)
‘Emergency’ (found on 2011 ‘Emergency’ single)
‘Turning Back’ (found on 2019 ‘Lost In Space’ album)
‘High Grade’ (found on 2012 ‘Open Your Eyes’ EP)
‘Fire’ (found on 2009 ‘Members Only’ EP)
More information on Gentleman’s Dub Club HERE and HERE.
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