In light of a campaign to discredit the legitimacy of UB40’s SA tour based on it being made up of three of the original members and not all of them, the band has released a formal statement to set the record straight once and for all:
“Following the statement by our ex-colleagues and co-musicians in UB40, we would like to reply with a clarification of the situation.
Ali Campbell and Astro Wilson are the two longtime vocalists who sang on all the previous UB40 albums and UB40 hits, (prior to the Country and Western album that the remaining members saw fit to record a matter of months ago). Campbell and Astro ARE the voices of UB40 – they created the sound on record and on stage. Anyone going to a concert by the remaining five will be treated to merely a karaoke version of how the band did indeed sound, with a replacement singer who has never recorded a previous UB40 album and is no part of the UB40 history. There is only one vocal sound for UB40 and only two genuine vocalists and it is us.
We have a legal right to use the name UB40 and we intend to do so. The only deception being committed here is by them, purporting to be a band that recorded the albums and songs that our loyal fans have bought over many years.
We sing reggae, songs we recorded as UB40, plus new material. UB40 is who we are and the fans can judge for themselves.”
Seed Experiences is bringing the band to South Africa in April 2014. They’ll play on Friday 4 April 2014 at Val de Vie Estate in Paarl and on Saturday 5 April 2014 at Emmarentia Dam in Johannesburg. It is well known that the famous frontman and voice of UB40, lead singer Ali Campbell left the band in 2008 along with Micky Virtue. Additional band member, Astro (Terence Wilson), left in 2013. In January 2014 these three members from the original band announced that they had reunited to perform live and to record new music under the name of UB40 and in the spirit of the original music.