Ali Campbell, the Birmingham voice of “Red Red Wine” and “I Got You Babe”, leads UB40 featuring Ali Campbell through four decades of British reggae at The O2 arena.
Ali Campbell, the voice of UB40’s transatlantic number one “Red Red Wine”, performs the band’s catalogue at The O2 arena in North Greenwich on Thursday 3 December 2026.
Campbell was born in Birmingham in 1959, the son of the Scottish folk singer Ian Campbell. He grew up in Balsall Heath among the first generation of Windrush children, hearing reggae and Indian film music.
In 1978 he began rehearsing reggae covers with friends, and the eight-piece took its name from the card issued to people claiming unemployment benefit. Their first show was at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath in February 1979.
UB40 placed more than 50 singles on the British chart. “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You” also reached number one in Britain and America, and “I Got You Babe” with Chrissie Hynde topped the British chart. Labour of Love and Promises and Lies were number one albums.
Campbell left in 2008 and reunited with Astro and Mickey Virtue in 2014. Their A Real Labour of Love reached number two in 2018.
Astro died in November 2021, and Unprecedented, the last album he made with Campbell, followed in June 2022.