Last week, the reggae icons of the 1980s, known for combining political dissent with easy -to -live pop rhythms, touched a closed window exhibition at Wembley Arena. But they have not had the popularity they think they deserve. They speak with Annabel Nugent of cultural appropriation and sales, to be disturbed through MI5, and why they believe they never won Grammy

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The UB40 platinum reggae organization is sold at an intelligent moment. “When we play a concert, it is music and dance; it is a consultation of making a song and having fun,” explains the founding drummer Jimmy Brown, a big smile distributed on his face. “We have a party. “

This would possibly seem strange to anyone who knows the deep political roots of the reggae or even the Ubfour0 rear catalog. The first single from the organization born in Birmingham, “King” (1980), was a sulphurous censorship of American racism written approximately a decade after the murder of Martin Luther King; It was No. four in the British lists, adjusting to the first single to the technique of the 10 most sensible without that of a giant record company. His was a sound motivated through a hard alchemy of protest and rhythm: the dissident voices take their position in reggae in the mid -years in the mid -1970s. Even its nickname, a reference to the form of the benefits of unemployment that everyone had signed to leave the unemployed school, was an accusation of the Margaret Thatcher government.

They have been softened since then. The fact that they are now known for their reggae-liteist decks of “Red Red Wine” (1983) and “Can’t Ayuge Fall in Love” (1993) is suitable for her inheritance, which Scède, as Brown says, in the aspect of “feeling good” of its kind. Calon to age. “We are an idea that we can replace the world,” said guitarist Robin Campbell. “Forty years later, it fits that it has no difference. All we do is pontify in the choir. “

Their values ​​remained the same, if not their ambitions. “We are determined to be anti -racists,” Brown said, taking the first of the walks in the past, this time remembering a national demonstration they attended as young people in Handsworth. “A police car came here, and suddenly, 40,000 bricks hit the police car at the same time,” Campbell added, a little nostalgia. “Bright. “

But intelligent times are not them. Today there is much to smile, such as the fact that UB40 has marked its first 10 more sensible since 1998 with UB45. I meet the organization in the green room of Wembley Arena the same day they will play with a crowd of closed window. In truth, I only know six of the 11 members of the existing programming, which has combined in the two decades beyond two decades, thanks to benefits, disease and death.

The resident popularity of the UB40 is unforeseen for all. “This is what deserves to have happened in the beyond 15 years,” it increases that Campbell deserves Tors. He blamed Beyond Management, who, according to him, has failed to make the organization touch the radio. “Someone else was in charge, and they did not do a brilliant job. “

It is true that they have been in front of coal for some time. The 8 founding members gathered at the Birmingham school and shaped the organization in 1978. their first album, signing, recorded in a bed; The percussionist Norman Hassan recorded his rooms in the garden, his kit too giant to pass through the door. Released in 1980, the album spent 72 weeks in the album table and remains a stellar start.

It was thanks to Chrissie Hynde who received their great rest. After having noticed this spring in an ad, he invited them to excursion as help for the contestants. UB40 did the favor when, a concert, a physically powerful security guard chose a fight with the bassist of the Pete Farndon contenders. “We were there, 20 of us, the team and everything, with our microphone aids, and we said:” Listen, the boys, if you are going to do it, you will first have to navigate, “explains Campbell.

As an organization, they had a gang mentality. “We oppose the world. If someone has done us badly, a promoter or something, we had the hands of the crowd in their workplace and let’s go,” we go for money. “” It is probably the mixture of this attack and its political words that led them to a surveillance list of MI5 in the 1980s throughout other subversive acts such as John Lennon, thickness and sexual guns. “Guns? It’s ridiculous,” he laughs at Campbell. “They were as much as possible. ” That said, the organization was also baffled through its own position in the list. “Everything we did to sit, play music, smoking marijuana and moaning in politics,” Brown explains. “The concept we mobilize ridiculous. “

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It is fun to think of MI5 agents who spend their valuable time to stick to the movements of those 8 stoners. “There were Mi5 agents parked at the doors of the study by taking photos of all who went and came, pointing out the registration plates,” Brown explains. “Our phones also operated. ” Campbell’s son, Matt, just a child at that time. “I can listen to checks through the receiver,” he says. “There is a BT box outside the doors of Ali’s house, and the” type “still there. “

Everything we did to sit, play music, smoking marijuana and moaning about politics. The concept we mobilize ridiculous

Good fortune continued faster than anyone who had an idea of ​​such a political group. Is this passage of the dominant strip translates on the occasion? “Not at all,” says Campbell. “It’s completely herbal because we were very complete of ourselves. ” However, these political aspirations seemed to give way to more advertising ambitions. In 1983, UB40 published Labor of Love, a collection of covers through its favorite reggae artists. “Idea of ​​the people we had sold, when in reality we pay tribute to our heroes,” Brown said.

The album was a colossal success, they were warned through their previous seal opposed to the fact of making an album of covers. It was Richard Branson to Virgin who gave them green light. “I asked him what idea of ​​making an album of covers; he told us that he didn’t care:” You give me, I’m going to sell it “”, recalls Campbell. “I said, where will we sign?”

UB40 appreciated the good fortune of the 80 cards; His next album for Virgin, Promises and Lies of 1993, sold 10 million copies. “He paid the Spice Girls!” Falconer said, explaining that Branson can only indicate to the organization of women thanks to the cash he had won in the back of the UB40.

In the following years, the organization has become a touch of popular culture, appearing in a strange way. The other day, Campbell kicked while watching a Big Brother competitor being beaten in the face with a pillow after pointing out that they hated UB40. However, despite all its weight in pop culture, this rarely translates out of respect for the industry.

“It’s boring,” admits Campbell. “They communicate about the Oasis and its size, but in reality they cannot catch a blood outside the doors of England. We have probably sold twice more records they have sold, and we do not get this recognition. In documentaries about music from the 80s, UB40 can be discussed through a end of the moment of the moment. ” It would be intelligent to download recognition, that’s all he says.

The same goes for the Grammys, for which UB40 was nominated and spent 4 times. “It turns out that for me, every time we are nominated, Ziggy Marley wins,” Brown shows up. “God keeps us that slow sponsorships or even I mean anything, however, the Marleys seem that the Grammys were sewing in the reggae category. “

The white press hated us because we enjoyed others and made music together

In recent years, UB40 has been accused of cultural credits. Where are they in this? “It’s Bollocks!” Campbell Escupe. “It is a cultural exchange, always. You don’t want to be Jamaican to interpret reggae, just as you don’t want to be American black to play jazz or R&B. It is ridiculous. ” Earl Falconer, the only black member of the group, nods with force. “The white press hated us because we enjoyed others and made music together,” he said. “It filled us even more readers to continue doing ours. “

Most of the time, Campbell continues, the argument of cultural credits is “thrown through failed musicians who have no place, and blame us for having stolen their music. ” None of the reggae artists have the work. “They all hugged us, they shook them and said: thanks for what you did,” said Campbell.

In 2008, the organization was shaken through repercussions that have repercussions to date. The original singer Ali Campbell, Robin’s brother, left the organization to follow a solo career. Five years later, Astro Trumpeter left to register in him. After a sour legal dispute over the so -called UB40, Ali was forced to happen under the Nickcall “UB40 with Ali Campbell and Astro” until the death of Astro in 2021. Now, it is only “UB40 with Ali Campbell”.

Each faction recounts its edition of occasions passionately and without position for any other interpretation. Campbell says that his brother left because the group’s records did not sell so well, and that Ali was motivated through money. On the contrary, Ali said he had left due to a challenge with the group’s control: “They betrayed me through them,” he said in an interview in 2020. It doesn’t matter who you think, an assembly remains outside the cards. Even if Ali returned its tail among its legs? “There is no hope in hell, I’m afraid,” said Campbell. “If he apologized and sought to be my brother again, I deserve to settle for that, but really, when he made the decision that he was no longer my brother, it was a relief. “

The dispute is a small spine, persistent by its side, everyone insists. “Like a little frustrating Moucheon,” Hassan said, moving to an imaginary fly in front of his face. As always, UB40 is basically here for one thing, and it is an intelligent moment.

UB40 is on excursion in the United Kingdom and Europe until November and December

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Robin Campbell: “They communicate about the Oasis and its size, however, they can’t really catch a blood outside the doors of England, actually”

Robin Campbell: “They communicate about the Oasis and its size, however, they can’t really catch a blood outside the doors of England, actually”

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