Ali Campbell's stormy split from UB40
After three decades and millions of records, could a pioneering supergroup implode in a hail of writs and wrangles? Our correspondent braves the bitter crossfire
Ali Campbell
It’s been several years since Ali Campbell moved out of Birmingham, but the accent remains intact. In January, when the 49-year-old singer found himself back there, he was staying at the Hotel du Vin in the city centre. His brother Robin came to pick him up and the two became lost amid the regenerated city’s vastly altered landscape. “Nothing is the same as it was,” he says.
Like much of what he’ll go on to talk about, the words chime with an accidental sort of poignancy. Two months isn’t a long time – but then, two months ago, no one had any reason to suspect that, after so long together, the most successful reggae band in British history was on the brink of an acrimonious split. Right now though, UB40’s former front-man is no longer on speaking terms with Robin or the rest of the group. As Campbell himself says: “It takes a lot for eight members to stay together for 28 years. If you think about it, there’s only U2 – and there’s twice as many of us.”
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