Ali Campbell talks UB40 legacy and Big Love Tour in studio interview

Ali Campbell, the lead singer of UB40, has discussed the band's legacy and his forthcoming Big Love Tour in a studio interview. He reflected on the group's more than 100 million record sales and on his decision to form his own band, known as UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, after a dispute in 2008. The interview also noted the death of his bandmate and longtime friend Astro a few years ago.

The Big Love Tour was a central topic. Campbell said the name comes from his first solo album, released in the 1990s. He never toured that album because he was still with his old band. A second solo album was called Running Free, but he preferred Big Love as a tour title. The tour is due to start in Ireland before moving around the UK, including a show in Birmingham.

Campbell spoke warmly about playing to a home crowd in Birmingham, saying he knows half the people in the audience. He added that audiences react in the same way wherever the band plays. This year, he said, the group has toured Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and the South Pacific, as well as South Africa, North America and most of Europe. He put the appeal of reggae down to its beat, its role as dance music and its unifying, happy character.

He also discussed some of UB40's best-known songs. Red Red Wine, which he called a firm fan favourite, has had over a billion hits worldwide, while Kingston Town has had over half a billion. He said the band had 40 top 20 hits in the 1980s and 1990s and that he has made 30 albums. He remembered living in Jamaica for seven years, in Oracabessa, opposite Goldeneye, the home of James Bond author Ian Fleming. He said his heroes, whom he had covered on the Labour of Love albums, visited his house there.

Campbell said he usually writes at home when he has spare time. He still enjoys the crowd reaction on stage, including smiling faces and people singing along. He noted that three generations of fans now come to shows and dance. He also said he is making an album with Bitty McLean, using posthumous Sly and Robbie recordings, including tapes that have never been heard before.