UB40's Robin Campbell on bitter feud with brother Ali and the moment he 'prepared to die'

Formed under Thatcher’s Britain, as UB40’s critically acclaimed album Rat in the Kitchen turns 40 this week, the Brummie band still has an anarchic streak. Reflecting on a career that’s seen them headline Glastonbury, enjoy three number one singles and even be inducted into the Māori nation during a 1980s New Zealand tour, founder member Robin Campbell, 71, looks pensive. Of the Māori honour, he says: “The last person for that to happen to was King Charles. I'm not a royalist, but he wrote me a nice letter thanking me for my involvement in the Prince’s [now King’s] Trust. Though I must say, if I had an invite to the Palace, I would politely turn it down.” This rebellious spirit was what led to the UB40 name, when the band formed in 1978. Thatcherism had its hold on the country and UB40 was the name given to the unemployment benefit form - at a time when approximately 1.46 million Brits were on the dole. Robin formed the pop-reggae band with his brother, Ali Campbell and their mates Jimmy Brown, Earl Falconer, Norman Hassan, Brian Travers, Yomi Babayemi and Jimmy Lynn - most of whom were unemployed at the time. Now an 11-piece outfit, UB40 have sold more than 100 million records and will be playing an Electric Paradise gig on August 8 at Milton Keynes Bowl. Robin says: “UB40 formed at the height of Thatcher in the 70s - it was an awful time. High unemployment levels. It was quite frightening. We were echoing the voices of our contemporaries in our songs.” Their 1981 hit, One in Ten, examining the social neglect they saw all around them, famously referenced the fraction of the workforce out of a job. Robin continues: “Flash forward to 2026. Not much has changed. I'm hoping Andy Burnham will prove to be the Labour we need. And I hope he condemns Israel's actions in Palestine.” UB40 have had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, including their chart toppers, Red Red Wine, I Got You Babe and (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You. And they’ve made 21 studio albums, 19 compilation albums, six live albums and four remix albums. Robin says: “When we started, we thought we'd have 10 years if we were lucky. The fact that we can still go around the world and sell out gigs is just amazing to me. As long as I'm enjoying this, I'm going to just keep doing it. My intention is to bop till I drop. I'll be performing at 100 if I make it that far.” And a UB40 show is now a family affair, according to Robin, who lives in Meriden, near Birmingham, with his wife, Luci, who he married in 2020, but has been with for more than 20 years. He says: “Our fans have grown up, they bring their kids. I have my kid on stage with me too!” Robin, who has two children from a previous relationship, Amy and Matt, now performs with his son on backing vocals. As well as him and Matt, the band now includes founder members Jimmy Brown, Earl Falconer, Norman Lamont Hassan, plus newcomers Matt Doyle, Martin Meredith, Laurence Parry, Ian Thompson, Jahred Gordon and Gilly G. Clearly proud of the Rat in the Kitchen album, which reached number 8 in the UK Albums Chart, it included the track Sing Our Own Song, written by Robin as a direct protest against the apartheid regime in South Africa. It famously incorporates the African National Congress (ANC) rallying cry Amandla Awethu (meaning "Power To The People") and was subsequently censored by the governing authorities in South Africa. UB40 performed a historic tour of the country in 1994, following the end of apartheid and the election of President Nelson Mandela, playing to a record breaking crowd of roughly 250,000 people over three days. Robin says: “Perhaps the biggest highlight of my whole career for me was playing South Africa after apartheid. We had observed the cultural boycott. We made anti-apartheid songs and then when Mandela was released, he invited us to perform. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. It was all I could do not to cry. Music matters. We still hold the live record in South Africa. They were singing all the songs that had been banned.” But it’s not been plain sailing for UB40. In 2008, Robin’s brother Ali quit the band, blaming the acrimonious split after 30 years on a row about time off. Their third brother, Duncan, replaced him. Then Ali’s rival touring group, UB40 featuring Ali, Astro and Mickey, led to a public family estrangement and High Court name disputes. Fortunately, a practical working agreement was reached. But Robin and Ali still don’t speak. Robin says: “It's sad - but it's his choice. “ And that’s not the only storm the band has weathered. In 1999, UB40 had to stop a gig in Northern Ireland after an attempted assassination. Robin says: “There was a shooting, that was quite frightening. A loyalist terrorist was shot in the head. He was a fan... I believe he survived. But it certainly shook us all up!” Earlier, in the late 80s, the band also survived a near plane crash, while flying from Germany to the UK. Robin says: “Over the Channel everything fell silent. All the engines stopped working, they'd frozen. It was probably the most frightened I've ever been. Everyone on board shook hands and prepared to die. Then the engines started again. But as a band you have to catch so many flights, you just can't be afraid. Later, in Hawaii, a pilot took us on a helicopter fun ride which scared the life out of us too, under waterfalls. The next week he crashed and killed everyone on board. So there’s two lucky escapes for you.” In 1983, UB40 headlined Glastonbury, when tickets cost just £12. Regulars on the festival scene to this day, Robin says he and the rest of the band still love making music. And he is careful to take a leaf out of the book of his musical heroes, by keeping his feet firmly on the ground. Describing Paul McCartney as a “class act” he says: “He’s just so down to earth. We were doing a photo session with his then wife, Linda. She said, ‘Would you like to meet Paul?’ And we went, ‘Yeah, of course we would.’ “He was at Abbey Road laying down a drum track at the time. When we walked in he threw his sticks in the air. It turned out that he's a UB40 fan. He turns up to our shows unannounced. When we played Wembley, the security guy used to come in and say, ‘Uh, Paul McCartney's out the back and he wants to know if he can come in.’ “After I'd met him the first time, he sent me a cassette with some music on and a little letter with it saying, ‘I hear you are going on tour. I just thought I'd send you some music to listen to that I'm working on at the moment while you're away.’ I love the man. He’s a class act.” But for true inspiration, he looks to Stevie Wonder. He says: “I've met him several times now and he's always been delightful. “Stevie Wonder is as important to music as Beethoven or Mozart. “