Original UB40 Lead Vocalists To Reunite After Six Years

Photo by Louis Campbell 

• Astro to re-join founder Ali Campbell and Mickey Virtue after splitting from rest of band
• Trio to play one-off reunion gig Friday December 6^th, IndigO2, London

26th November 2013:- Original UB40 lead vocalist Astro is to join UB40 founder and former frontman Ali Campbell in the pair’s first performance together in nearly six years.Astro will join the line up for Ali Campbell’s December 6^th concert at the O2’s IndigO2, together with original UB40 keyboardist Mickey Virtue, who has been playing with Campbell since the pair left the band in February 2008.Said Astro: "It's going to be great working with Ali again after all this time. We started on a mission to promote reggae music and that mission is still ongoing. Onwards and upwards!"Added Ali Campbell: “We originally formed UB40 to promote reggae. It was never about promoting individual band members - it's about the music and the fans. Nothing else matters. Welcome home Astro!”The news has arisen after Astro announced on Friday his split with the band that continued to play under the name of UB40 after Campbell and Virtue left.  He issued a statement on Friday to explain his departure, pasted at the bottom of this release.Addressing the split once more, Astro added: “I informed management and our agent several weeks ago that I would not perform until various outstanding issues were cleared up.  I also advised them not to use my name or image in any tour publicity so as not to mislead fans.  I now felt I needed to inform the fans myself, so they were fully aware and would not go to a concert in the hope of seeing me.”Speaking about his own departure six years ago, Campbell said: “It was a very acrimonious split and it remains so.  I consider the whole band as my brothers – including my two real brothers who are in the current line up – and for six years we haven’t said a word to each other.“It’s very sad to see what they’ve done to the legacy of UB40. It’s not the original lineup and they haven’t been very transparent about that at all.”Best known for their international hits ‘Red Red Wine’ and ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’, UB40 are one of the most commercially successful reggae acts of all time, selling over 70 million records. Formed in 1979 in Birmingham, the band’s initial line-up lasted for 30 years until the 2008 departure of Campbell and Virtue. Press Statement From Astro12 noon Friday 22^nd November“After a well-documented turbulent few years I feel that it is time to draw a line in thesand and move on. Since Ali and Mickey departed, the band has been like a rudderlessship with no clear direction, no action plan, we’ve merely muddled our way through on awing and a prayer. There has been a serious lack of communication between the bandand management. “I want to play what our fans, who have been very vocal, want to hear, which is vibrant,fresh reggae music with passion. My heart just isn’t in the new album ‘Getting Over TheStorm,’ where my contribution has been reduced to a backing vocalist which, as our fansknow, is not my role in the group. I’m a front man, a lead vocalist. “While it maybe true that there is a long relationship with reggae musicians and countrymusic, that doesn’t mean that that’s what I want to play, far from it and it’s definitelynot something I wish to be part of, subjecting our fans to what I consider to besubstandard. “I have been loyal to my brothers to the detriment of my own family. Now it is time forme to do the right thing by them and myself and bow out while I still have a chance tosalvage something of my career. “I may have lost all that I’ve worked for, for the past 30+ years but I cannot bear to seewhat we are offering to our loyal fans who have stood by us through thick and thin. Ibelieve they deserve better than this and I am sorry but I cannot and will not lose myintegrity as a respected reggae musician. Therefore I have no alternative but to partcompany with the band. “I know it may seem sudden to all who know me but my mind is made up and will notchange. I think it’s clear that I’ve had enough of being depressed, as I’m sure othermembers are, but the difference is I’m not prepared to continue to be miserable at homeand work. So it’s with a heavy heart I say goodbye. It was (mostly) fun while it lasted.” Astro