‘The other UB40? Basically they are not up to par...’
UB40, the version of the band led by Ali Campbell, will be celebrating their 40th anniversary next year with a world tour that comes to Nottingham and Leicester. Ali and bandmate Astro tell KEVIN COOPER all about it
How is life treating you both at this moment in time?
A: “Life at the minute is fantastic as it happens. We are currently riding on the crest of a wave.”
AC: “There is currently a bit of a renaissance going on for us. Our new album A Real Labour Of Love went straight into the charts at number two and we are going to be celebrating 40 years in the business throughout next year with yet another extensive world tour.”
Are there any thoughts on writing a new studio album which contains entirely new material?
AC: “Yes there is. In fact we have got about a dozen ideas for new songs right now. But of course we are not going to be running into the studio anytime soon because we have got a year’s worth of touring to look forward to promoting.”
A: “Our biggest problem is actually getting ourselves into the studio. We have no shortage of music but finding the time to actually get into the studio is the biggest problem.” A: “That’s right, we always seem to be gigging on my birthday. The whole crowd sang Happy Birthday to me which was fantastic.”
you always seem to come alive and step it up a gear. Would you agree with that?
A: “That’s easy, the bigger the crowd the better I feel. You can keep the small intimate gigs where you can see the whites of their eyes; the bigger the gig the better I feel. I am happiest when I am on stage. I know that I have to do some work in the studio but to be honest, I have the attention span of an ant. But when I am on stage that is when I feel alive, that is where I belong, that is what I was meant to do.”
What can we expect from your 40th anniversary tour?
A: “Well it is going to be a greatest hits tour together with some new material from our current album. We won’t put too many of the new songs on to the set list as