Wednesday, Mar 29, 2017
UB40, featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue, are back again. The English reggae band are hoping that forecast thunderstorms won’t steal their shine at the Irish Village on the night of March 30.
The three founding members — an offshoot of UB40 — are known for hits such as Red Red Wine and Can’t Help Falling In Love. They’ve become regulars in the UAE music scene, returning time and again with a trusty arsenal of global hits. Ahead of their weekend gig, Campbell told Gulf News tabloid! about the first time they performed here — and why he doesn’t plan on quitting tour anytime soon.
You’re going to be back in Dubai soon…
We actually looked at the weather prediction, and it said lightning. Years ago, we played the Irish Village, and we were hailed on — there was a hail storm, in the middle of the desert. They said it hadn’t happened for 20-odd years. The weather always seems to happen when UB40 arrives. This seems to happen with UB40 all over the world — we’ve stopped droughts in Africa.
What do you have planned for the show?
We did have 40 Top 20 hits in the ’80s and ’90s, so we’ve got a wealth of stuff to draw from. We’re not a self-indulgent band — we don’t play brand new material that people don’t know, because that’s not fair. People purchase UB40 ticket to hear the hits, basically.
Some bands will retire a hit of theirs live. Do you ever wish you could do that?
Most of the big hits that we had that were international hits came from the Labour of Love series. Out of 25 albums, [four] were covers albums, and they were called Labour of Love. We had so much success with those that they kind of overshadowed our 21 other self-penned albums. Even though our biggest-selling album, Promises and Lies, was a self-penned album. I never get tired of them — I never get tired of singing Kingston Town, Homely Girl and Red, Red Wine, because I loved covering them in the first place.
Do you remember the first time that you played in the UAE?
Before Dubai airport was built. I remember lining up in the sunshine with our bags, going through what really was a wooden hut… stamping our passports. I bring my wife and kids there quite a lot, because it’s a safe place. I’ve watched it all grow in the last 20-odd years.
How are the crowds here? What keeps you coming back?
The last time we were there, we sold out the [Dubai Duty Free] Tennis Stadium. We were with Billy Ocean, a friend of ours. It was reported as the event of the year — I can’t remember who said that, it was probably one of my people, but there you go! It was fabulous. It was a big mix.
Do you find that your reasons for performing have changed over the years?
I’m still very much on the mission I started. I started UB40 in 1979 when I was a baby, and it was to promote reggae music. I grew up listening to reggae in South Birmingham in a Jamaican immigrant area. I loved it and I wanted the world to love it. I’m still on that mission right now, to promote reggae and to promote dub. Dub influence is enormous. The biggest producer in the world is Diplo from Major Lazer at the moment, and he’s a dub mixer. I’ve watched the MTV awards recently, and it had Ariana Grande and Rihanna and Beyonce, and everybody on the show was doing reggae beats. Reggae’s influence is massive at the moment.
You’ve been in the music industry for decades. What would be your advice to yourself 30, 40 years ago?
Have people around you that you trust. Remember that you have to adapt. If you’re going to stay in the business like the entertainment business, you’ve got to remember it’s cyclical, and every ten years, a new format comes along and you have to adapt to that.
How do you feel about Record Store Day coming up next month (April 22) to promote vinyl?
I love vinyl. When we started, we used to cut records on vinyl and then we went to the whole tape thing and then to CD. We just recently played the [O2] Dome in London. We sold that out, and we filmed it in virtual reality. Virtual reality now is unbelievable. I’ve seen the footage — it’s like, you’re standing in front of the stage, or you can be behind it, or looking down on it, and if you go to the show and buy the virtual reality show, you can watch yourself watching the show. It is really weird. Another format will come along after that — we’ll have holographic records or something.
It was a while before I realised what UB40 stood for as a name. Do you come across a lot of people who have no idea what it means?
We’ve been going for a while now, and we’re always asked, wherever we go: ‘What does UB40 mean?’ I’m not sure that there’s a UB40 card anymore in England, I think it might have been changed to another name — Unemployment Benefit, that’s the UB, and 40 was a registration number. From the government registration card, we sort of own it now, really. We don’t actually own the name, because you can’t, because it’s a government registration form. When we made the first album, we made the exact copy of the form, and we had to have it franked, otherwise you could’ve sent it through the post, legally.
What keeps you busy outside of UB40 and outside of the music?
I’m immersed in the music and in touring. That’s the thing about being a musician — and a busy one — it’s a very selfish lifestyle. Even though I have a kid and a beautiful wife and everything, my life does revolve around reggae music. I’m generally all around the world in beautiful locations making people dance, and it’s my chosen lifestyle.
Do you find that you get restless if you’re not on the road?
Because I’ve toured since I was 19 years old, my whole adult life has been touring. When I took an eight year hiatus, I did start feeling a bit weird and like I wasn’t involved in the world anymore. I started to feel like things were going on without me. When I got back on the road again, nearly four years ago now, I absolutely loved it. I love being on the road. That’s all I can say. It’s a bit like that Willie Nelson song, Back on the Road Again. I mean, Willie Nelson is 83 and he lives on his tour bus. He doesn’t even go to hotel rooms.
Don’t miss it!
Tickets to UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Mickey Virtue and Astro at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium cost Dh150. Doors open 7pm. Show starts 9pm.
By Marwa Hamad, Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.
