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ILLINOIS ENTERTAINER: Your older brother Duncan is singing lead for the second version of UB40. And you said that one day you just got tired of hearing him murdering your songs, right?

Dark Side – but you can see‘ em on YouTube, and it’ s knuckle-bitingly embarrassing. It makes me angry, because everywhere that they go, we have to then go back again and give people the real deal. They’ ve been going all over Holland recently, So I’ m going to the Hague in a couple of days to do a big show there. But really, the fans have voted with their feet – we’ re playing for 11,000 people at our shows, and they’ re doing maybe 900. So it’ s a very long, slow death for them, while we’ re enjoying a Renaissance, basically.

IE: Do you remember the moment when you finally had enough? AC: Well, yes. It was when Astro decided

UB40 Circa 1981

ALI CAMPBELL: He was. Still is, I’ m afraid. The Dark Side, as I call them, they’ re still touring around the country. They follow us and do smaller shows, obviously. But yeah, they’ re still murdering every song I ever did. And I’ m still trying to save the legacy of the band, along with Astro and Mickey. And this is our fourth tour of America in the last two years coming up, so we’ re happy to be back promoting the real deal, rather than people having to listen to what I can only describe as a bad karaoke band. And Robin’ s not in my band – he’ s with the

to join me and Mickey. Me and Mickey left nine years ago now, because we didn’ t get on with our management. And then the guys that were left went on the side of the management, which I still don’ t understand. Then when Astro came to join me and Mickey, we wanted to make it very, very clear, that this was Ali, Astro and Mickey’ s UB40. Because I truly believe that what my older brother Duncan is doing is destroying the legacy of the band, everywhere they go. It’ s like a scorched earth policy.

IE: Christmas and family reunions must be a nightmare. AC: Ha! It’ s still all very acrimonious. And I haven’ t talked to any of them since. Then I’ ve got another older brother David who is also claiming that he’ s the lead singer of the band, so they’ re all out of their fucking minds, in my opinion. I don’ t know what’ s going on. They were taking us to court, but that hasn’ t come to anything because they haven’ t got a leg to stand on. So that’ s sort of just dwindled. So we’ re just carrying

on, basically. And we’ ve got a great new album coming out on Universal next February, and it’ s the best thing I’ ve done in 25 years. I’ m absolutely loving it. And I can also safely say that I’ ve got the hottest reggae band on the road in the world at the moment.

IE: And you have a new“ Unplugged” album out, with a“ Greatest Hits” bonus disc? AC: Oh, yeah! And it’ s good! That was like