UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell have confirmed two major Irish dates for their Big Love Tour 2026, with shows set for Castlebar and Dublin next November.
The reggae icons will take to the stage at TF Royal, Castlebar on Friday 27 November 2026, followed by a headline performance at 3Arena, Dublin on Saturday 28 November 2026. Tickets for both concerts go on sale this Friday 06 March at 10am via Ticketmaster, and strong demand is expected given the band’s enduring popularity across Ireland.
Fronted by founding member Ali Campbell, the tour is fuelled by the unmistakable voice that helped power UB40 to more than 70 million record sales and over 50 UK chart hits. More than four decades after first emerging from inner-city Birmingham, Campbell’s current touring line-up continues to deliver what many fans regard as the most authentic representation of the band’s original reggae vision.
A typical live set spans the group’s vast catalogue, including beloved covers such as “Cherry Oh Baby,” “Please Don’t Make Me Cry,” “Kingston Town” and “Red Red Wine”, drawn from the hugely successful Labour Of Love series. Fans can also expect later material, including tracks from Campbell’s 2021 album Unprecedented, ensuring the shows balance nostalgia with newer recordings.
The story of UB40 stretches back to 1979, when the multi-racial band first began fusing Jamaican reggae influences with a distinctly British roots-rock sound. They famously took their name from the UK unemployment benefit form, reflecting the economic hardship that shaped their early songwriting. Their debut single, “King / Food For Thought,” reached number four in the UK charts, followed by the release of their 1980 album Signing Off.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the band became one of Britain’s most successful musical exports. They topped the UK singles chart four times, with “Red Red Wine” (1983), “I Got You Babe” (1985) — a duet between Campbell and Chrissie Hynde — “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You” (1993) and “Baby Come Back” (1994) with Pato Banton. Both “Red Red Wine” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You” also topped the US charts, cementing their international appeal.
Yet beyond the chart success lay socially conscious songwriting. “Food For Thought” highlighted famine in North Africa years before Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? dominated the airwaves, while “King” addressed racism in America. Their 1981 hit “One In Ten” painted a stark portrait of unemployment and social struggle in Britain. Reflecting on the relevance of those tracks decades later, Campbell has noted: ‘The saddest thing is that some of those songs are still so appropriate. We wrote King 44 years ago, but the song still says something about America today, and it’s the same with One In Ten in the UK.’
Campbell departed the original UB40 line-up in 2008, ushering in a new chapter. Prior to that, he had already enjoyed solo success with albums including Big Love (1995) and Running Free (2007). Subsequent releases such as Flying High (2009) and Great British Songs (2010) broadened his catalogue before he reunited with original keyboardist Mickey Virtue and Astro for 2014’s Silhouette. Later projects included UB40 Unplugged (2016) and A Real Labour Of Love (2018), the latter embracing late-1970s digital reggae and 1980s dancehall influences. The album narrowly missed out on the UK number one spot and became the highest-charting release by any incarnation of the band since 1993’s Promises And Lies.
Discussing reggae’s continued relevance, Campbell has said: ‘The 1980s were such a fertile decade for reggae, and new technology meant the genre was moving forward at an incredible pace. By 2018, enough time had elapsed for us to investigate that era properly, which is what we did.’ He has also highlighted the cross-generational appeal of their live shows, adding: ‘We're really blessed in that we get such a mixed audience at our shows. We still get the original fans, but we’ve also picked up a younger, festival crowd who are into grime and dance music. The influence of reggae on today’s music is huge.’
For Irish audiences, the November 2026 dates offer a chance to experience decades of reggae history performed by the voice that defined it. With timeless hits, socially resonant anthems and a reputation for feel-good live performances, UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell are set to bring a dose of reggae warmth to stages in Castlebar and Dublin next autumn.
