Few bands have carried reggae into the global mainstream as successfully as UB40, and nearly five decades after first forming in Birmingham, the group is preparing to return to Australia and New Zealand with The Unstoppable Tour, joined at every stop by British soul pioneers Soul II Soul.
The tour coincides with UB40’s forthcoming Unstoppable album and celebrates a remarkable career that has seen the band sell more than 100 million albums, score over 50 UK hit singles and become one of Britain’s most enduring musical exports. While songs such as ‘Red Red Wine’, ‘Kingston Town’, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ and ‘Food for Thought’ introduced reggae to audiences around the world, UB40’s catalogue has always balanced commercial success with the political and social commentary that shaped their earliest recordings.
The current lineup remains closely connected to the band’s origins. Four of the five surviving founding members, Robin Campbell, Norman Hassan, Earl Falconer and Jimmy Brown, continue to perform together, joined by longtime brass players Martin Meredith and Laurence Parry, along with vocalist Matt Doyle, who has fronted the band for the past five years.
Their return follows a successful Australian tour in 2024, demonstrating that the band’s appeal extends well beyond nostalgia. Nearly 50 years after their formation, UB40 continue to perform with the confidence of a group whose music has become woven into popular culture across multiple generations.
Supporting the tour are Soul II Soul, whose influence on British soul, R&B and dance music remains profound. Led by founder Jazzie B and vocalist Charlotte Kelly, the Grammy Award-winning group helped redefine contemporary soul during the late 1980s and early 1990s with classics including ‘Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)’ and ‘Keep On Movin”, songs that continue to resonate across dance floors and radio playlists alike.
Together, the pairing brings two of Britain’s most influential groups back to Australian audiences. While their sounds emerged from different musical traditions, both bands have built lasting careers by blending genres, challenging expectations and creating songs that have comfortably outlived the eras in which they were first released.
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