UB40 FT ALI CAMPBELL + REGGAE ROAST – BRIGHTON CENTRE 26.2.22
Tonight it was the turn of UB40 featuring Ali Campbell (not UB40 on at the Brighton Centre on Wednesday 4 May). Both UB40 bands are fronted by a Campbell brother. It would be easy to get confused as to which one you had bought tickets for!
The group are family and friends from Birmingham who got together in 1978 to form a band named after a government unemployment form, have had many publicised disagreements and, in the end, a parting of the ways.
Lead singer Ali Campbell left the original group in 2008, followed by keyboard player Mickey Virtue. Forming their own UB40, the band was complete when Astro joined them in 2013.
In November 2021, Astro (real name Terence Wilson), one of the original UB40 founding members, died. The concert at the Brighton Centre on Saturday 26 February was something of a celebration of his musical contribution.
Ali Campbell, the band’s frontman was on form at the emotional event. His voice has certainly not diminished. If anything, it seems to have mellowed.
This was the second concert in the UK since Astro’s death, the first being at the O2 in London, the first concert after much of the O2’s roof was lost in Storm Eunice.
The support act was ‘Reggae Roast’, one of Britain’s premier reggae and dancehall soundsystem acts, who got the evening off to a thumping start… some really brilliant mixes plus an amazing full on reggae mix version of George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’.
UB40 came on stage at 8.45pm, opening with ‘Here I Am (Come And Take Me)’ a 1973 song originally by Al Green, followed by ‘Way You Do The Things You Do’ a Temptations cover. Next up was their 1989, number six chart single ‘Homely Girl’ from their Album ‘A Labour Of Love II’.
A string of hits followed with the audience all in full voice and the front standing area moving in unison to ‘Groovin’, ‘Cherry Oh Baby’ and ‘One In Ten’.
Then it was time for something from their new (shortly to be rereleased) album, the title track ‘Unprecedented’ which in many ways reflected the extraordinary past couple of years.
Following on was a reimagined version of Prince’s, ‘Purple Rain’ with a video of Astro adding his own style in the mix. Next we had ‘Impossible Love’ and ‘I Would Do For You’.
There was a moment to pause and remember Robbie Shakespeare (who died in December 2021) who will be remembered as one of the greatest and most influential bass players in reggae music.
Next up was ‘Please Don’t Make Me Cry’ (from ‘Labour Of Love’) and then for the first time played live ‘Guns In The Ghetto’ with Ali commenting on how apt the song was considering that guns were being handed out in Kyiv that day!
The band left the stage in a tribute to Astro where we watched (on back projection screen) and sang with him ‘Wear You To The Ball’ and ‘Rat In Mi Kitchen’. It was a very touching and joyful celebration to one of UB40’s and Reggaes greats. Ali and the whole band were clearly moved by the tribute.
The band returned to the stage during a fantastic drum solo which built the mood ready for the finale, it was then time for all the big ones… ‘Many Rivers To Cross’, ‘Food For Thought’, ‘Kingston Town’, ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ and a duet with Astro ‘Red Red Wine’. It was a superb end to a brilliant concert. I feel most of the audience left with a sore throat from singing, myself included.
