UB40

Rip It Up, Issue 67, 1 February 1983, Page 8

ÜB4O

Mark Everton

ÜB4O hate doing festivals. Drummer James Brown (great name) says he feels it's conveyorbelt entertainment. Guitarist Robin Campbell says at nine of the last 10 festivals they've played at it's rained. A suggestion that they shouldn't play the hit 'I Think It's Going To Rain' gets a smile and a resigned nod towards the grey skies. ÜB4O are a deceptive band, musically and personally. The music may be graceful reggae with tasteful saxophone but it hides lyrics of powerful bite. Robin Campbell: "Yeah we do get away with a lot because people drift with the music and don't hear the words. I'm constantly surprised we get the airplay and TV time we do. Like some nerd London DJ said 'Food for Thought' was a beautiful religious song." Does it worry you if your message doesn't get across? "Well I think some people understand. Like we seem to have cornered the working class and unemployed market. We didn't set out to become a working class spokesband, but I guess those people know what we're singing about." Deceptive personally? Well to

an ever so slight cynic, I wonder how far ÜB4O can go on with their lyrics without allegations of exploiting prevailing problems? Robin Campbell replies: "I find it impossible not to write about what's going on around me. When the band started we had social problems unemployment, Thatcher, racial tension. We've still got them. I find lots of sources of inspiration for songs in real-life." Do you think a change in musical style to perhaps a more hard-headed approach would influence more people to your way of thinking? "Well reggae is the style we chose to develop," says James Brown. 'We feel it's a young style, just 15 years old on record. There's a lot of space there, we've got a lot to explore." Campbell adds: 'We are changing. The new album is different again. One thing we are looking at is using more dub techniques in the studio and live. Reggae is a growing influence, right round the world. It's very strong in England now and we're glad to see it diversifying to take in things like 'Pass the Dutchie', songs from singers like Gregory Issacs, right through to the harder stuff." Have you worked with any Jamaican reggae artists? "Not so much in the musical sense," Robin Campbell replies. "We went to see Robbie and Sly play in Paris recently. ('The highlight of my life,' murmurs James.) 'What we have done though is take artists like Burning Spear and Gregory Issacs away on tour." "We, as a band, are in a strong position to advance reggae," says Brown, "but at the same time it has a lot to teach us so we will be sticking with it."