UB40

UB40 brings its Birmingham-born reggae to Ottawa on September 18, 2026 at History Ottawa. Formed in the late 1970s around Ali and Robin Campbell, Astro, Earl Falconer, Brian Travers, Jimmy Brown, Norman Hassan and Michael Virtue, the band took its name from the UK unemployment form and cut its teeth in pubs and at benefit gigs. Early albums like Signing Off (1980) and Present Arms (1981) set the tone with dub-tinged grooves and socially aware lyrics. With Labour of Love in 1983, UB40 shifted toward reinterpretations of 1960s and 1970s reggae, a path they extended through several volumes and a more melodic, pop-facing approach that surfaced on records such as Promises and Lies in 1993. Their sound blends reggae, pop and rock, driven by brass lines, steady mid-tempo rhythms and a back-and-forth between originals and covers. Line-up changes in the 2000s, including the departures of Ali Campbell and later Astro, reshaped the group, which has kept touring and recording with long-standing members and new voices. Expect a set that cruises between early politically-charged cuts and the Labour of Love songbook, carried by the band’s signature horn arrangements and unhurried pulse, at History Ottawa in Ottawa.