Most bands who've just celebrated their 28th anniversary would be forgiven for resting on their laurels, and especially when they've more than 50 hit singles and seventy million record sales to their credit. UB40 however, are an exception. Their last two albums, Who You Fighting For and TwentyFourSeven, have been widely acclaimed, and the way in which they've triumphed in the wake of lead singer Ali Campbell's departure has proven truly remarkable.

To suggest that UB40 are currently experiencing something of a renaissance is an understatement. Crowds still flock to their concerts, and Robin Campbell's brother Duncan has quickly made his presence felt in the group. By return...

Most bands who've just celebrated their 28th anniversary would be forgiven for resting on their laurels, and especially when they've more than 50 hit singles and seventy million record sales to their credit. UB40 however, are an exception. Their last two albums, Who You Fighting For and TwentyFourSeven, have been widely acclaimed, and the way in which they've triumphed in the wake of lead singer Ali Campbell's departure has proven truly remarkable.

To suggest that UB40 are currently experiencing something of a renaissance is an understatement. Crowds still flock to their concerts, and Robin Campbell's brother Duncan has quickly made his presence felt in the group. By returning to traditional methods of recording - i.e., playing "live" instruments as an ensemble, and also writing the kind of social commentaries that define the times we live in, just as they did on classic albums like Signing Off and Present Arms - UB40 have succeeded in rejuvenating themselves to extraordinary effect.

Reggae music has long championed the poor and innocent. At its best, it conveys a message intended to help forge a better and more just society, and uplift those in need. In accordance with their British, working-class roots, UB40 have risen to this task with distinction. They've empathised with their audiences, as well as entertaining them, which is why they were invited to perform at the Nelson Mandela concert in 1988 and Live8 in 2005, when they performed to an estimated television audience of three billion, and made the occasion count by highlighting anti-war material from Who You Fighting For. Such appearances - like those at former US Vice-President Al Gore's Earth Concerts - go hand-in-hand with their support of charities like the United Nations AIDS Awareness Campaign and the Teenage Cancer Trust, and also their willingness to help further the careers of other artists, whether from Jamaica (as on UB40 Presents The Dancehall Album) or England.

The initial line-up was formed in a suburb of Birmingham during the summer of 1978 and comprised of Robin and Ali Campbell on guitar and vocals, Earl Falconer on bass, Brian Travers on sax, James Brown on drums, Norman Hassan on percussion and Michael Virtue on keyboards, together with MC Terence "Astro" Wilson. Another of the Campbell brothers, Duncan, declined to join the band, thinking they wouldn't get too far, but would seamlessly replace Ali on lead vocals thirty years later!

On the surface, it would appear there's not much left for the world's leading reggae act to achieve. On current form however, UB40 are revitalised, and revelling in the opportunity to make their voices heard longer and stronger than ever before.