UB40’s huge outdoor show at Birmingham’s Moseley Park next month brings the legendary reggae band back to where it all started for them 45 years ago. What’s On caught up with drummer and founder member Jimmy Brown to find out what’s in store for the homecoming celebration...

When UB40 take the stage at Moseley Park & Pool next month, it will be the ultimate homecoming gig. The 100 million album-selling band - the world’s biggest reggae outfit by a considerable margin - were formed, back in the 1970s, in the bohemian Birmingham neighbourhood, where nearly all the members attended the local School of Art. They rehearsed in a cellar in Trafalgar Road, performed on the back of a lorry driving along Moseley Road, played their first gig at the nearby Hare & Hounds pub and recorded debut album Signing Off in the basement of producer Bob Lamb’s Moseley home. To say the area is an intrinsic part of their history is an understatement.

“It was the birthplace of the band,” says drummer Jimmy Brown, one of the group’s founder members. “Four of us went to Moseley School of Art together, and the rest of the band were people we’d known since the age of about 11 or 12. We were like a gang really.”

Jimmy initially had competition for the drum stool from the band’s original singer, Ali Campbell, but says their individual merits were instantly apparent. 

“I was probably always gonna be a drummer because from a very young age I was tapping out rhythms on the desk - I used to drive my teachers mad! The same with my mum and dad - I’d be sitting in the front room listening to records and playing along with knitting needles and upturned biscuit tins.

“Ali wanted to play drums first, but he was too good a singer.”

The band’s original line-up also included Ali’s brother, Robin, on guitar and vocals. The family dynamic became a key part of the UB40 aesthetic, says Jimmy - as well as the cause of a few notable spats. 
“Every time there was an argument in the band, it went all the way back to when they were two years old,” he chuckles. “That kinda happens with brothers - you can’t deny that brother blend - but it also helped that we had another brother waiting in the cupboard when Ali left. Duncan took over and we still had those really lovely harmonies.”

Ali departed the band in 2008 (“we haven’t seen him since the day he left - he left Birmingham, left his family and left everybody behind,” says Jimmy), with Duncan proving an ideal replacement due to the similarity of their voices. After a bout of ill health, he retired in 2021, to be replaced by current singer Matt Doyle (aka ‘the new guy’), who Jimmy says is really starting to find his feet. 

“The new guy’s really good, he’s really talented, and only half our age! When we played the Hollywood Bowl, he really came out of his shell [and] knocked it out of the park, as they say. He’s enjoying it, and we’re really enjoying it - it’s a really good time for the band at the moment.”

That good time coincides with UB40’s 45th anniversary, which will be marked by live shows, the Homecoming event and a new album (UB45). Jimmy finds it hard to fully appreciate their 45-year career and achievements (“it’s a long time ago but feels like yesterday”), but takes particular pride in the fact that they’ve never stopped performing.

“A lot of bands who come from that time, whether it’s Duran Duran, The Specials or bands like that, they all kind of stopped after a while and then reformed, whereas we just carried on. So we haven’t had a chance to take stock of what’s gone on cos it’s still happening for us.”
Part of that longevity has been forged from being popular literally all over the world. The band never stop playing because there’s no end of places to play. Already this year they’ve performed shows as far away - and exotic - as Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Grand Cayman.

“We can go as far as somewhere like Samoa, which is about as far as you can go without coming back on yourself, and 10,000 people turn up and sing our songs. We also go to India, Africa, Polynesia, Micronesia. I’d never heard of Micronesia till we went there! Our music is played everywhere. 
“I think the reach of the music means that we’ve constantly had territories to tour in, and we’ve had hits in all of those territories too.”

The longest the band have been off the road was during the Covid lockdown, but the touring machine is very much geared up and rolling again now.

“It’s a lifestyle, really - our families are used to it. Our wives probably quite enjoy us being away for a bit, so they can control the remote and not have us messing up the house!”

The local Homecoming show is clearly one the band are looking forward to, particularly the members who have been there since the start, which also include bassist Earl Falconer and percussionist Norman Hassan. It’ll also be a chance to honour original saxophonist Brian Travers, who died in 2021.

“When the band was first starting, we used to sneak into Moseley Park and hide behind trees, smoking spliffs and all that, so it’s kinda like playing in your own backyard in a way. The spirit of Brian will be with us as well. He was our most prolific songwriter and obviously his horn lines are iconic, so his spirit will definitely be there.”

The Homecoming event is effectively a UB40 festival, and will feature a screening of 1984 documentary Labour Of Love, a Q&A with the band and a host of support acts, including Soul II Soul, The Mouse Outfit, Freetown Collective and DJ Don Letts. There’ll also be Birmingham artists Friendly Fire Band and Young Culture Band, demonstrating reggae’s continued importance to the city, as well as UB40’s enduring influence.

“It’ll be a special night. The festivals in Moseley are always really good - they’re very successful having a festival on that site - so we thought we’d have a go. We’re going to get some great seafood in, we’re going to be doing a Q&A, showing movies and generally having a celebration of all things UB40.”

by Steve Adams