Music legends UB40 set to play Waterfront gig

REGGAE pop legends UB40 have been lined up to grace the stage in the first announced open-air gig at Dundee’s Waterfront.

The band, most famous for their hit Red Red Wine, will play at Slessor Gardens on Saturday May 20 as part of their Grandslam 2017 tour.

The concert will feature the line-up of Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue, with fellow ‘80s stars Level 42 as special guests.

Although Slessor Gardens has staged a number of events since it was created as part of t he Waterfront redevelopment, UB40’s appearance is expected to be one of the first major music events there. Formed in the late 1970s, UB40 went on to sell more than 70 million records in a rise to global fame, which also brought Brit and Grammy award nominations.

They have had more than 50 singles in the UK charts, including No 1 hits Red Red Wine and Can’t Help Falling in Love. Over a three-decade career they performed sell-out concerts worldwide, including Russia and South America, and headlined the legendary Reggae Sunsplash music festival in Jamaica.

In more recent years the band became involved in a legal spat over the use of the UB40 name when frontman Campbell left, followed shortly after by keyboard player Mickey Virtue.

Astro remained with the band until November 2013, when he departed to team up again with Campbell and Virtue, triggering the row.

The Dundee date will follow the tour’s opening night in Inverness, before the band heads south to Coventry and Darlington.

Lead singer Campbell said: “We cannot wait to perform for all our fans at Dundee next summer and pull out all the favourites that our fans love the most.

“The Grandslam tour is going to be a brilliant experience and we are delighted to have Level 42, the Original Wailers and the amazing Raging Fyah performing as our special guests.”

Slessor Gardens has already witnessed the creation of Dundee’s cardboard Royal Arch and the gathering of the line-up of Oor Wullies before they were auctioned to raise cash for the ARCHIE Foundation.