Robin Campbell hopes UB40 will continue “after he hangs up his guitar”.
The musician was one of the founding members of the group in 1978 alongside his brother, former frontman Ali Campbell, and remains a key player with the band.
Next year, the reggae outfit will celebrate their 45th anniversary with a brand new album and, ahead of the milestone, the Red Red Wine star opened up to Retro Pop’s January 2023 issue about their future together.
“I have this view of UB40 – the institution – continuing after I hang up my guitar,” he explained. “I can’t imagine that I’m ever going to stop, I think I’m just going to bop ‘til I drop!
“But there will come points in time where one of us can’t continue – we’ve already lost our sax player, who passed away with cancer – but you have to keep going. If you go on for as long as we’ve been going, then you are going to lose members and inevitably people will decide that they can’t do it anymore, or they don’t want to do it anymore.”
However, that doesn’t necessarily spell the end of the band, with Robin musing: “If that’s the case, then new people will be brought in and I have this idea that in 20 years’ time, there could still be a UB40 on the road.
“It might now have any of the original members in it, but they’re all members that were brought in over time by original members, and they will continue the legacy.”
UB40’s new album – the aptly-titled ‘UB45 – is the first to feature new frontman Matt Doyle, who replaced outgoing singer Duncan Campbell last year.
They met while his former band Kioko celebrated UB40 with a performance at the Birmingham Music Awards, with Robin sharing: “We just got chatting to him, became friends and took them on the road. They toured with us for a couple of years – they did at least 40 shows with us around the UK and Europe. So that was how we got to know him.
“I’d worked with him in the studio on the previous album [‘Bigga Baggariddim’ (2021)] and I remember thinking, ‘This kid can really sing. If ever Duncan decided to retire, he’d be a great replacement.’
“And then ridiculously, within a few months, Duncan had the stroke, so I really didn’t have much to think about. I just went straight to Matt and offered him the job.”
Matt’s ties to UB40 extend beyond the music – he’s also the nephew of percussionist Norman Hassan and, when it comes to working together in the studio, he’s slotted into sessions perfectly.
“We all come from the same place, the same streets, and not a lot has changed politically,” he reflects. “He tends to be screaming about the same stuff we were screaming about and have been for the last 40 years.
“He’s full of enthusiasm, full of ideas, and he comes to us with lyrics all the time. So he’ll have a few songs on this album.”
Read the full interview in the January 2023 edition of Retro Pop, out now. Order yours or subscribe via our Online Store, use our Store Finder to locate your nearest stockist, or get Digital Copies delivered direct to your devices.
