Legends sign up for city festival
UB40 to kick off festival series
GET ready with some top notch al fresco music, perhaps washed down with a drop of red, red wine as a group of reggae legends have been confirmed as the first headliner for the return of Live from Times Square.
Birmingham’s finest pop reggae exports, UB40, featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey, will kick off the city centre festival series in style on Wednesday, August 22, along with special guests Aswad, the act responsible for huge 90s smash Shine.
Last month Ali, Astro and Mickey released ‘A Real Labour Of Love,’ which debuted at number 2 in the charts and is their most successful album for 25 years but as you’d probably expect, their Newcastle set won’t just be new material, it will of course feature classics like Red Red Wine, Rat In Mi Kitchen, Can’t Help Falling in Love and Kingston Town.
As founding members of Britain’s biggest reggae band UB40, singer Ali Campbell, second vocalist Astro and keyboardist Mickey Virtue topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe.
Steve Davis, of SSD Concerts, said: “We’re thrilled that Live From Times Square will be back for another year and as part of our commitment to bringing some of the world’s most iconic and influential bands to Newcastle, we couldn’t be happier with this first announcement.
“UB40’s music has a special place in many people’s hearts and this will be a truly special show for fans of reggae and for fans of the band. “This year’s events will be a celebration of live music in the Tyneside summer sun and people can expect some massive surprises and further announcements coming their way very soon.” Between 1983 and 1998 UB40 produced three Labour of Love albums, bringing tracks such as Eric Donaldson’s Cherry Oh Baby, Lord Creator’s Kingston Town and Johnny Osbourne’s Come Back Darling to a new, global audience. They also topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with their reggae cover of Neil Diamond’s ‘Red Red Wine.’