The Hour

Reggae legends UB40 are back touring in the UK but insist that the secret to their worldwide success is not a result of any media coverage.

Branding themselves as “raving reggae fans”, the boys say they keep quite disconnected from the popular music charts and instead focus on their passion –reggae.

And with 50 UK entries in the singles chart, an impressive 70 million album sales and a career that has spanned over 26 years, the Birmingham boys are clearly doing something right.

“We do our very best not to get any tabloid coverage,” band member Robin Campbell said. “We have tried very hard not to be that kind of act.”

The initial line-up of the band began in a Birmingham suburb during the summer of 1978 when some boys from the same neighbourhood realised a shared love of reggae music,

“Where we come from, you hear reggae everywhere,” Robin said.

The group got their big break when spotted by Chrissie Hynde during one of their first London pub tours.

“She came back stage after the show and said ‘you guys are great’ and invited us on her tour,” Robin said. “So we went on a sell out tour all round Britain and that basically launched us.”

Performing classics such as Red Red Wine and The Way You Do The Things You Do 20 years after they were first released, UB40 think it is important not to alter a song when performing in front of their fans.

“We try hard not to do them any differently because we think fans want to hear the songs as they bought them,” Robin said.

“I think the worst thing you can do is to play with tunes and try and treat them differently because I think that disappoints them.”

UB40 will be touring until December 21, 2009 throughout the UK alongside Eddy Grant. Watch the exclusive interview with Eddy here.

 For more information on tour dates, visit www.ub40.co.uk