The Birmingham reggae band UB40 began as a quintessential product of the troubled era when Margaret Thatcher was the UK’s prime minister, archly taking their name from the “attendance card” needed to claim unemployment benefit, and singing songs about life at the sharp end of her rule. Their peak period lasted until the early- to mid-1990s.
In 2008, there came a rupture – due to “management and business disputes” rather than anything musical – which opened the way to the choice that now confronts their remaining fans: whether to go and see a new vehicle for the band’s former lead singer called “UB40 featuring Ali Campbell”, or stick with the outfit that still trades under its original name, and includes his estranged brother Robin. For the time being, there seems to be space for them both.
