UB40 Interview With Brian Travers
Things to do in Fremantle, Book Here
Unlock Massive Savings When You Book Online!
Bow Rider – On Water
Discover Local Diving in Perth
The group behind Reggae classics such as ‘Red Red Wine’, ‘Kingston Town’ and ‘(I Can’t Help) Falling In Love With You’, UB40 are returning to Australia this November. Their first visit for five years and with a new album in the works, this tour is a highly anticipated one, so we couldn’t wait to catch up with original member and saxophonist, Brian Travers, to discuss their return, new music, and the relevance of UB40 today…
Hi Brian, how are you?
Good, thanks!
You’re touring Australia in November; how are you anticipating it?
We’ve been four or five times before, and we haven’t been for about five years, so we’re really looking forward to it.
What memories does Australia hold for you?
We first went in 1980 and we hadn’t really been many places when we were kids, and UB40 was the first band we’d ever been in. Our first record was a hit and it was like a dream really! It took us all around the world. The first time we went to Australia, we landed in Sydney and had a few days off, and we couldn’t believe that by making a record we could travel all over the world. It’s been like that for 36 years. We’ve always had a nice time in Australia and we’ve all got family in there – I think everybody in England has got family in Australia! We’ve got good memories of good weather, good food, the ocean – and I can’t wait to get back.
What are you looking forward to seeing when you return?
Well, we’re coming to do a job, so we’re just looking forward to seeing the audience’s faces, playing them some music and just enjoying the privilege of what we’ve got. It’s a wonderful feeling. Maybe we can get some Australian live music, because there are some great bands in Australia in the hotels, bars and clubs.
How much do you get to see of local music in the UK? Birmingham for instance?
Personally, I play in six bands and get asked to do gigs with other bands to keep myself fresh. Music’s a big part of our life, and live music is becoming more popular again with the demise of records. With the internet, people are getting very eclectic – you’ve got Delta Blues being played by a kid who’s never been out the country – they can study this stuff online. So live music’s where it’s at. If you want to be a musician, get out and play live.
You mentioned the demise of records, but you’re heading back into the studio to record a new album…
We are. There’s a new initiative started called Pledge Music, where somebody buys your record before they’ve heard it – before you’ve made it even. That’s generally the way it works; when you go into a record store, you haven’t heard the whole record. It’s a way of refinancing the recording industry and it seems to be working. We’re looking forward to it; we’re making music, that’s what we do.
When are you aiming to have it completed? Will it be completed by the Australian tour?
I don’t think so, you know. We’re starting in September – we’ve got a bunch of song ideas written, but I don’t imagine it will be finished and mixed by the time November comes. It probably won’t be released until 2016. If there’s anything finalised, we might play something in Australia. We’ve had 40 top 30 hits. We’ve had as many hits as the Bee Gees and Status Quo – which seems ridiculous, I know! We can’t just play hit records at a gig, it would be like a cabaret show, so we try and be eclectic and do stuff from the past and stuff people have never heard with a few surprises.
With regards to Pledge Music, would it work for new or up-and-coming artists, or does the pledger need to have a bit of experience with the artist first?
I see what you’re saying… I think if nobody’s ever heard of your band, it’s gonna be hard to get them to invest in your album if they don’t know who you are and what you’ve done. It’s a solution for a band like ourselves who have been around for many years, and people know what to expect with us. It’s not a perfect model for a new, young band, but you’ve got to work hard at getting out there and getting people into your music, so from little acorns mighty oaks and all that…
So what can we expect from the new album? Will it be what we’ve loved UB40 for all these years?
[Laughs] Yeah! I don’t know – I haven’t got a clue yet! It won’t be the same as our last album, I think it’s gonna be a political affair, we’re gonna write some hard hitting stuff. We love all music – we love love songs and they’re the hardest to write because so many have been written – but we’re gonna talk about what’s going down. Music’s become very apolitical in recent years; it’s all about glitz and glamour and less about substance, so we’re all thinking in terms of revolution – well, I hope so!
The name UB40 carries with it a specific time…
Yes it does – it was the doll card. When we were teenagers and you were unemployed, you got a card called the UB40 – Unemployment Benefit 40 – they don’t have them anymore.
Well, the closest that we have to it now is Job Seekers Allowance, so if you were to name the band today, would you call yourselves JSA?
[Laughs] Very likely! Who knows! I suppose that would work as good as anything. We just thought in the late ’70s that there would be millions of people that were unemployed and would get us straight away – we’ve already got a members club.
After all these years, you’re still credited as being the most successful and recognised UK reggae group; why do you think no other group has come close to imitating this?
I don’t know – it’s certainly not because we’re geniuses! Individually, we’re not even the greatest musicians in the world, but together, we work well, we genuinely love music, and added into that is a bit of luck. Nothing succeeds like success; if you’ve ever been a success, you can open a door and it gets easier and easier. Why nobody else has emulated what we’ve done I don’t know. Reggae is an international club, you go anywhere in the world and everybody loves Reggae.
What was the album that you bought?
It was by a little local band called Goodnight Lenin, from Birmingham. But I listen to music constantly – old, new, I don’t care what genre it is as long as the musicians mean it and you can always tell if they mean it.
UB40 2015 Australian Tour Dates
Thursday 12th November – Brothers, Cairns
Saturday 14th November – The Tivoli, Brisbane
Sunday 15th November – Cooly Hotel, Gold Coast
Tuesday 17th November – C.ex, Coffs Harbour
Wednesday 18th November – Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Friday 20th November – Big Top, Sydney
Saturday 21st November – Waves, Wollongong
Tuesday 24th November – The Forum, Melbourne
Thursday 26th November – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Saturday 28th November – Metropolis, Fremantle
By Charlotte Mellor
@cmellor_03
More like thisRelated
Discover Pondicherry, France in India
Prince William Visits Sheffield to Promote Homelessness Project
Fremantle BeerFest 2025
Seven Days in Sri Lanka: Perfect for Russian and Chinese Tourists
TSMIT increase: How it affect Sponsored Workers
Seven Seas Worldwide MoveCube – Your Hassle-Free International Shipping Solution
