A REGGAE performance with classic hits by Grammy-nominated British band UB40 will take place this Friday.
In an exclusive interview with the GDN, founder and frontman Ali Campbell said they were looking forward to playing in Bahrain Bay.
The band, which also includes vocalist Astro and Mickey Virtue on keyboard, will be performing three extra numbers for the first time in Bahrain.
“I’ve never been to Bahrain and I’m very much looking forward to coming,” said Mr Campbell.
“I go to Dubai very often and watched it grow from nothing – I remember being there in the 80s when there wasn’t even an airport.
“I’ve also been to Oman a few times and thereabouts, but never Bahrain.
“Honestly, I don’t know anything about it other than it’s another Arabic destination and it’s glitzy – but I hope to spend a couple of days there before our next concert and get a bit of sunshine and see the country.”
He said the band had recently performed in New Zealand and Australia and will tour North America and Britain in the next few months.
“We’re pretty busy at the moment so good to get into Bahrain for us,” he said.
“We hope that everyone will come to party with us, giving them a two-hour show of hits, the same that we play all over the world.
“It’s a slightly amended show because I’m adding three extra numbers – and Bahrain will be getting them before the rest of the world.”
UB40 have had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart and been nominated for four Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album.
They’re also one of the world’s best-selling music artists with more than 70 million records sold.
“We were very lucky in the 80s and 90s and had over 40 Top 20 hits, so we’ve got a wealth of songs people know,” said Mr Campbell.
“That’s why we’re an ideal festival band – people know our songs.
“We’ve made three albums of cover songs that we loved, the Labour of Love albums.
“The question we get asked most often is why we love reggae – and it’s just the music we listen to growing up.
“People think that we get sick of playing massive hits, but our massive hits are covers, so it’s music that we really loved, so we still enjoy performing them.”
Mr Campbell said that UB40 shows were often a “cross-section of people” in different age groups.
“If you go to our shows it’s a cross-section – people in 40s and 50s, same age as the band,” he said.
“But then their kids there as well.
“When Michael Jackson died – suddenly he was all over the place, and my kids were listening to his songs, same as I did – that’s such a rare thing.
“There’s no secret to longevity – it’s because we chose reggae.
“When we started UB40 in 1979, reggae had only started in 1968.
“So we’ve lasted this long because we chose the youngest music form in the world.”
The show will take place at Bahrain Bay at 8.30pm.
Tickets cost between BD10 and BD20 and can be purchased from www.springofculture.org/ub40.