Dave Woodhall sees UB40 return home once again.
When you’re queueing at the box office and at the window next to you are the singer’s parents, waiting patiently in the sweltering heat, it can only be UB40 back in town.
The lengthy wait meant what they, like me, would have missed much of Aswad’s set but what I did catch seemed to be going down well with the growing crowd. Don’t Turn Around got the biggest cheer followed by set closer Shine, and they were followed by long-time UBs collaborator Maxi Priest. again, the better-known songs got the biggest reaction but everything went down well as the audience began to party.
The headliners have played this arena under its various names many times (I think it’s called BP Pulse LIVE now although check if it hasn’t changed again) but never with an introduction such as we had tonight, as bass player Earl Falconer came on and apologetically explained that an accident the previous day had left him with his arm in plaster and a last-minute replacement deputising. Then with a swirl of anthemic intro music and a blast of lasers, the unscathed members of the band took to the stage.
The anthemic Food for Thought had the crowd dancing away from the start, One in Ten following with a funkier re-working that took the song away from its post-industrial roots and a feel veering on party music – a nod, perhaps, to the way in which the band have moved with the times. No longer the conscience of a generation, now the background to a nostalgic look back.
The hits continued and the one thing I did notice was how Matt and Robin Campbell sound virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings. One of the main battles of the bitter civil war that dogged the band for many years following Ali Campbell’s departure was that his replacements sounded “nothing like Ali”. I have, and never have had, much opinion on the matter but I can honestly say that I couldn’t tell the difference between tonight’s performance and Ali’s version I heard last year.
The new-ish song Home from the UB45 album came with a timely introduction from Robin given recent developments and its message of inclusivity was emphasised by a backdrop of Brummie pride and togetherness. Whatever your background, wherever you may have come from, this is your city and UB40 are a massive part of its fabric. Throughout their chequered history they’ve never left here and staying true to their roots has cost them in more ways than financially.
This and a couple of other newer numbers were, unfortunately, the cue for toilet and bar breaks, which shows the dilemma the band are facing. The new material and 2019 album For the Many shows that UB40 are still capable of the sort of biting, emotions-stirring music that first made their name but their live audience doesn’t seem to want it in any such quantity as the older classics.
It was therefore left to the hits to get the crowd back on their feet. Ska anthem Johnny 2 Bad featured the introduction of their original trombonist while there was a nice tribute to the late, great Brian Travers as an intro to Kingston Town, which for many of us brought back last-dance memories in city centre pubs of long ago.
The encore came with another generation of Campbells on stage to help out with the backing vocals and as the final swaying, hugging, arms-linked strains of Can’t Help Falling in Love faded away and the crowd drifted into the sweltering June evening, I couldn’t but reflect that UB40 must be the only band who started off playing their own material and added more of other people’s material as they went along. They’ve been called a covers band at times but if that’s true they’re still, on this showing, the classiest covers band you’ll ever hear.
