Since 1978 UB40 have gained major notoriety selling over 70 million records and releasing over 50 singles so it was a real pleasure to able to attend tonight’s performance at the Bournemouth 02.

The band are now dedicated to playing smaller intimate venues which bring them closer to the audience Supported by DJ Gold Dub and playing to a packed audience, the guys put on a memorable reggae performance.

As the lights dimmed and music starts, the band emerge and the crowd shows their appreciation.

The guys then kick in with the first song of the set Present Arms followed by Sweet Sherry then you could meet.

Now feeling my age and remembering the bands performance on the (Comic strip presents) in the late 80s it’s was good to see that the energy and enthusiasm from those days was still alive and kicking.

The guys played a good mix of old and new with classics such as Red Red Wine and finishing with can’t help falling in love.

Overall a great night in a great venue, and certainly after 30 years the guys can still pull it out of the bag and proving they are still one of the most successful British groups of all time. A real shame Ali Campbell and Astro are long gone but I would thoroughly recommend catching them live.

Sebastian Schofield