SPILL NEWS: ‘UB45’ THE BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM FROM UB40 TO BE RELEASED ON APRIL 19

UB45 THE BRAND NEW STUDIO ALBUM FROM UB40 TO BE RELEASED ON APRIL 19 ON SRG RECORDS (UNIVERSAL)

FEATURES SEVEN NEW TRACKS INCLUDING FORTHCOMING SINGLES “GIMME SOME KINDA SIGN” AND “HOME” 

UB40, the world’s biggest selling reggae group, will release their much-awaited 21st studio album UB45 on 19 April 2024 via SRG Records (Universal). The 14-track album features brand new songs including forthcoming singles “Gimme Some Kinda Sign” and “Home”, plus re-recordings of some of the band’s most beloved hits. Pre-order UB45 from 9am on 19 January.

Over the course of 45 years, UB40 have garnered over 100 million album sales, 50 UK Top 40 singles and 10 UK Top 10 albums. The band has stood the test of time, touring the world together and recording music shot through with an unbreakable bond, fostered by their long-standing friendships and shared Birmingham roots. The line-up proudly boasts all but one of the surviving founding members, now bolstered by the reinvigorating and re-energising presence of vocalist Matt Doyle.

There are seven brand new UB40 recordings on this album, including forthcoming lead single “Gimme Some Kinda Sign”, a cover of Brenton Wood’s 1967 track “Gimme Little Sign”. The group added a special UB40 flavour to the legendary soul classic. It was chosen by Matt Doyle, who brought it to Robin Campbell, unaware that the song had been on the guitarist and vocalist’s wish list since the Labour Of Love (1983) days.

UB45 sees the band do what they do best, with songs that fearlessly address societal hot button issues and take a firm stand against the injustices of the world. This is apparent from the off on opening track “Home”, complete with trademark UB40 beats and the powerful themes of inequality and bigotry. Other new recordings include a beautiful rendition of Bill Withers’ “Hope She’ll Be Happier” (1971), “Trouble”, “Say Nothing”, “Fool Me Once”, and the single “Champion” which was the official anthem of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
UB40’s iconic tunes “Food For Thought”, ”King”, “Tyler”, “Red Red Wine”, Cherry Oh Baby”, “Sing Our Own Song” and “Kingston Town” have all been given a fresh recorded treatment while retaining the spirit, timbre and melodies that fans know and love. In addition to Matt’s vocals, Jamaican keyboard player Jahred Gordon has joined the band ranks. Long-time producing partner Jamie Travers, son of late founding member and legendary saxophonist Brian Travers, also plays keys. Jamie worked to isolate his father’s sax from live recordings, grafting the sounds onto the re-recorded tracks so that the group could honour their bandmate, who died in 2021.

Robin Campbell said: “We’re so proud of the new album. We wanted to record UB45 to celebrate 45 years of our music, and also to showcase Matt Doyle’s vocals on the tracks. He’s brought a new lease of life to our music, as has the addition of fellow Brummie, “permanent guest” MC Gilly G and my son, Matt Campbell on backing vocals. When you play songs over so many years, the arrangements and vocals evolve and change. These updated versions of our hits are still close to the originals, but now reflect how we perform them today and they sound better than ever.”

UB45 Track Listing

1. Home
2. Food For Thought
3. King
4. Champion
5. Tyler
6. Trouble
7. Red Red Wine
8. Fool Me Once
9. Cherry Oh Baby
10. Say Nothing
11. Sing Our Own Song
12. Gimme Some Kinda Sign
13. Kingston Town
14. Hope She’ll Be Happier

Tour Dates

Fri 1 November 2024 London OVO Arena Wembley
Sat 2 November 2024 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Thurs 7 November 2024 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Sat 9 November 2024 Birmingham Resorts World Arena
Fri 15 November 2024 Leeds First Direct Arena
Sat 16 November 2024 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Thurs 21 November 2024 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Sat 23 November 2024 Belfast SSE Arena

Artist Links

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