UB40 drummer Jimmy Brown relives his favourite moments in India ahead of Mumbai gig

Ahead of their gig in Mumbai later this month, UB40 drummer Jimmy Brown relives his fave India moments

Jimmy (James) Brown. Pic/UB40 OfficialâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088Website

British band UB40 had had
A steady line-up for 29 years, until 2008, when vocalist and founding member Ali Campbell left the group. Being a Reggae outfit, they believed in "One Love! One Heart!" and in no time, the loose ends were repaired. The Birmingham-based act, known for songs like Red Red Wine and Food For Thought, is currently touring India. Over an email interview, the band’s drummer Jimmy Brown discussed playing at intimate venues and their plans while they are in the country.

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Excerpts:

How did the India tour come about?
India has always been an exciting place to perform. It is humbling to see that we have a huge fan base here. We were approached to perform in the country and we were extremely thrilled to take things forward.

Why has it taken so long for the band to visit India?
We would have loved to visit India sooner, but we are happy that we will finally be touring the country. We are excited to meet all our fans and perform our music.

What are your plans for the country? What can we expect to hear at the concert?
We will be playing our hits such as Red Red Wine, Can’t Help Falling in Love and Kingston Town, but we will also be playing tracks from over 30 years of making records.

You’ve been to India before. Can you share some memories?
We played at a Bollywood awards ceremony a few years back. It was an exciting time. We also played a concert the following night at the same venue. Unfortunately, the visit was brief, so I’m looking forward to spending more time in India.

UB40 has been on the scene for almost 40 years. Pic/UB40 OfficialâÂu00c2u0080Âu00c2u0088Website

How has your sound changed in these past few decades?
UB40 hasn’t really changed that much. We started making music to show our love for Reggae and that hasn’t changed too much. But we have perfected our technique over the years, so I would hope musically that would show. Our live show is better than ever. We are a live band before anything else and that counts a lot.

In the last few years, the band has replaced stadiums for more intimate venues. Is there a conscious effort behind that?
We play at venues of all sizes, depending on where we are. UB40 is an international band; we are known all over the world, so we will play at all types of venues from stadiums to small clubs. In our recent British tour, we decided to play at Rock clubs and smaller live venues around the country rather than the arenas that are out of town. We ended up playing at over 100 venues and selling a quarter of a million tickets. I think people like to see bands in more intimate venues. No big light show or stages production, just a band and their instruments and a crowd so close you can see the whites of their eyes. The band loves to play those type of shows.

What’s next after Getting Over The Storm? What are you working on now?
We are most of the way through recording a brand new album of new, original material. We have written most of the songs ourselves and it is very much a traditional Reggae album.

Many of the band’s original members are still part of the line-up. What is the key?
If I knew the ingredient that made a band successful, I would bottle it and sell it and become king of the world. I can’t explain why we have been so successful for so long, so I don’t think about it too much and just enjoy the ride.

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