ub40 canary islands concerts july 2026

UB40 return to Canary Islands with Ali Campbell this July

UB40 return to Canary Islands ten years on

UB40, the British band founded in England in 1978 with more than 70 million records sold, returns to the Canary Islands a decade after their magnificent concert at the Gran Canaria Arena. The same venue will host the upcoming performance on Friday 31 July, with the band playing at the Palmetum in Santa Cruz de Tenerife the following day. The big news is the return of co-founder, vocalist and guitarist Ali Campbell, who left the group in 2008. Although limited, tickets for both concerts are still available.

The Big Love World Tour hits Spain

The Big Love World Tour stops in four Spanish cities this summer, with the added attraction of Campbell’s return – the voice that led critics to label UB40 as the ultimate exponents of white reggae, a reference to the Scottish musician’s skin colour. But UB40 is much more than that; they are a large, multi-ethnic ensemble whose name comes from the British unemployment benefit form (Unemployment Benefit, Form 40), as all the original members were out of work.

For a band of UB40’s stature to stop in the islands at reasonable prices requires institutional support. The concerts, sponsored by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria (the island’s government), Turismo de Canarias (the regional tourism board) and the Canary Islands Institute for Cultural Development, will allow audiences to enjoy iconic hits from the British band.

A staggering sales record

UB40 have broken sales records worldwide, thanks in large part to their most successful albums: Labour of Love (1983) and, ten years later, Promises and Lies (1993), which sold nine million copies. Including singles, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, cementing their status as one of the most influential groups in the genre.

From Birmingham pubs to global stardom

The group originally formed in mid-1978 with Jim Brown (1957), Earl Falconer (1959) and Brian Travers (1959). The other five members soon joined: Alistair Campbell, Robin Campbell, Norman Hassan, Michael Virtue and Astro. All were childhood friends from different schools in the working-class neighbourhoods of Birmingham. They recorded a demo that was played on a radio station and began performing in pubs and nightclubs, until Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of The Pretenders, saw them play and offered them the opening slot on her 1979 tour. The band is noted for its multicultural lineup and a sound that fuses Jamaican reggae with lyrics of social protest.

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