Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
With global album sales of over 100 million, UB40 have had 10 UK Top 10 albums and accumulated a massive fanbase around the world with their infectious reggae music combing old school rhythms with a modern day approach. The band is currently celebrating 45 years of existence, firstly with the release of their 45th anniversary album, UB45 and following up with live shows in all parts of the planet.
Sadly the band has a history of sibling conflict, which has seen former lead singer Ali Campbell touring his own breakaway version of the band. They quietly played to fans in Perth and Melbourne earlier this year. However, in Australia at the moment we have the real deal, led by Robin Campbell and featuring 4 of 5 of the surviving founding members, Robin Campbell / Norman Hassan/ Earl Falconer, and Jimmy Brown, who have been recording and performing together for 45 years, with long time brass players of 30 years. The members of Ali’s version have never participated in a UB40 record.
Last night at Margaret Court Arena, the band consisted of Robin Campbell (vocals & guitar), James Brown (drums), Earl Falconer (vocals & bass), Norman Hassan (vocals & percussion), Martin Meredith (keyboards & saxophone), Laurence Parry (trumpet & trombone), Jahred Gordon (keyboards), Ian Thompson (saxophone), Gilly G (MC vocals) Matt Doyle (lead vocals & guitar) and Matt Campbell (backing vocals).
Warming the audience for the Birmingham brigade was Swedish singer-songwriter Eagle Eye Cherry, son of late jazz trumpeter Don Cherry and brother to 80’s star Neneh Cherry. Eagle Eye had a massive hit in the late 90s with Save Tonight and you could bet your bottom dollar that tune would get an airing at Margaret Court Arena. Eagle Eye delivered an impressive performance, featuring a tight rock band who won the hearts of a staunch UB40 audience. With appealing tunes such as Streets of You, One of Those Days, and Still Having Fun, aided by some tastefully played Hammond organ, this band would definitely benefit by an Australian club tour. Of course, a long, dramatic intro to the hit had the audience dancing and singing along to Save Tonight.
In what seemed like an endless procession, the individual members of UB40 strolled on stage highlighting just how big this band is, as they launched into a joyous version of their 1990 hit and Al Green cover Here I Am (Come And Take Me). Following up immediately with Keep on Moving from their first Labour Of Love album, the band had already latched into an impenetrable groove.
I first saw this band live at Festival Hall in Melbourne in the 80s on their first Australian tour, pretty much playing the entire debut album Signing Off. That was a memorable show but I don’t recall their sound being as phat and powerful as it is now. Jimmy Brown on drums is the driving force of the band. Housed in his perspex enclosure with his bass playing buddy Earl Falconer leaning in to lock in, it’s impossible not to move to the rhythms being generated from these guys, the true heart and soul of the group. The performance of the hit single One In Ten from the 1981 album Present Arms was a fine example of the pair’s perfect syncopated beats.
Lead singer Matt Doyle, who replaced Duncan Campbell in 2022 has a stylish presence, gives the band a fresh perspective and his voice is perfectly suited to these reggae classics. Home, a song written by Doyle for the new UB45 album showed just how well he’s fit into this legendary outfit. An extended dub outro gave the song a stamp of UB40 authority.
Robin Campbell took to the microphone to explain that fans are constantly requesting old faves to be added back into the setlist. The incredible crowd reception for Please Don’t Make Me Cry and Bring Me Your Cup proved that their decision was right to reignite those tunes.
Campbell announced that they were about to play The Keeper, a song about his wife when Earl’s bass sound suddenly died. It was a good five minutes of dead stage time fixing the issue. I mean, if Earls, not plugged in, the band ain’t happening but nobody in the audience seemed to mind.
From here on the band kicked up a gear into a party zone, as the hits began to roll out. The Jimmy Cliff classic Many Rivers to Cross is such poignant song and Matt Doyle delivered an epic version, backed by the band’s wonderfully, soulful horn section. While Many Rivers tugged at the heart strings, Cherry Oh Baby ignited the crowd’s dance moves and vocal chords. Backing singers Matt Campbell (Robin’s son) and MC Gilly G added a large degree of cool and personality to the band, always encouraging the audience to step it up a notch. In between dispatching mesmerising dub sounds, keyboardist Jahred Gordon occasionally strolled into the backing vocal area to add his own crowd persuasion too. With the venue bathed in red lights, the crowd were not so much singing back the words to Red Red Wine but shouting them at the top of their lungs.
After a very short offstage breather, the band returned to perform the iconic Food for Thought, a tune adopted by Birmingham Football Club, where on game day the crowds roar the song’s sax intro. MC Gilly G coaxed the same from the Margaret Court crowd, not that they needed much prodding. The delightful Kingston Town from Labour of Love and re-recorded for the UB45 album then had the throng swaying in time. The colourful lighting effects were shut down, replaced by natural lighting as the whole band came to the front of stage to greet the audience. Robin asked the crowd to drown them out as Matt sung the opening lines of Can’t Help Falling In Love With You and a communal singalong ended the night on a joyous, heartwarming note. As Eagle Eye Cherry had mentioned earlier in the night, with so much depressing news happening around the globe, it’s important to savour special concert moments like these. UB50 anyone? Bring it on!
