1 week Ago By Mark Andrews
Campbell and his bandmates will be performing at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on December 5. The band is an offshoot of the original UB40, which sold more than 70 million records and had more than 50 records in the UK singles chart since it was formed in 1978. The show will come two days after the band also performs at the Apollo theatre in Hammersmith.
A spokesman for the band said the two shows would be the most intimate that the band has put on in many years. Campbell said: "We love doing these intimate shows, it’s always such a great atmosphere. "This is the perfect way to end the year of fantastic shows we’ve had all around the globe.
" UB40 was formed by Campbell and a group of unemployed friends from Birmingham in 1978, taking its name from the form to apply for unemployment benefit. The band's first performance was at the Hare & Hounds pub in King's Heath in February, 1979. UB40 had a string of hits in the 1980s and 90s, including Red, Red Wine, Kingston Town, (I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You, and I Got You Babe, featuring Chrissie Hynde.
Front man Campbell left the original band in 2008 in a bitter break-up, and his place was taken by his brother Duncan. Keyboard player Mickey Virtue and percussionist Terence 'Astro' Wilson also quit, and joined Ali Campbell in a breakaway band, leading to a legal wrangle about ownership of the UB40 name. Ali Campbell's band performed under the name UB40 Featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey until Virtue left in 2018, and Astro died in 2021.
Tickets for the Wolverhampton and London concerts go on general sale at 10am on Friday..
