UB40

UB40 are coming to Cologne with their characteristic reggae sound: on 9 March 2026 the band will take the stage at the E-Werk. Founded in Birmingham at the end of the 1970s, the collective early on developed a style that lies between roots reggae, touches of dub and pop, characterized by prominent brass and relaxed mid-tempo grooves. After politically grounded beginnings with Signing Off and Present Arms, UB40 turned to reworkings of songs from the 1960s and ’70s with the Labour of Love series and later refined the melodic side on Promises and Lies. Their repertoire has always swung between original compositions and reinterpreted standards.

Over the years the lineup has changed, including the departure of Ali Campbell in 2008 and, later, Astro. Live, however, the approach remains consistent: a set that blends distinctive classics and newer songs, with dense arrangements, warm harmonies and the typical horn lines. In Cologne UB40 will bring this mix of reggae, pop and rock to the stage — a concentrated cross-section of different phases of the band’s history, performed in current versions and carried by that unmistakable balance of groove, melody and socially rooted legacy.