English reggae and pop ensemble UB40 has officially distanced itself from the scheduled December 21 concert at Kololo Independence Grounds, where they were initially believed to be performing. The band issued a statement last night, clarifying that only their estranged former member, Ali Campbell, will be taking the stage in Kampala, and the rest of the original group will not be present.
The statement from UB40 read in part, “UB40 sincerely apologizes to our fans in Uganda and wants to make it clear that we will not be participating in the forthcoming concert, which has been misleadingly advertised as ‘UB40’ Featuring Ali Campbell.'”
The official Statement from the group ensemble is disassociating itself from the upcoming event in Uganda, set to occur at Kololo Independence Grounds on December 21st, after numerous headlines and publications erroneously promoted a ‘UB40’ concert, falsely implying a reunion since their last performance in 2008.
Ali Campbell, who was once the lead vocalist and frontman of The Camp, left the group in 2008 to form his own band, which he also named UB40. He was later joined by two other former group members, Mickey Virtue and Astro. In 2014, the original camp initiated legal action against the new group for unlawfully using their name.
The original UB40 lineup includes members such as Jimmy Brown, guitarist Robin Campbell, bassist Earl Falconer, percussionist Norman Hassan, saxophonist Brian Travers, and their new vocalist, Duncan Campbell. In their recent statement, the original group accused Ali Campbell of misleading fans and the general public by promoting the tour as “UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell.”
The group made it abundantly clear that none of the members of Ali Campbell’s backing band had ever performed with Them or contributed to a UB40 record, emphasizing that the official group ensemble has no involvement in the current concert. The event on December 21st will feature Mr. Ali Campbell along with a backing band consisting of session musicians.
UB40 also disputed comments by the concert organizers at Talent Africa, who claimed, “This will be the second and last time UB40 will be coming to Uganda.”
