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Hitchin Priory Summer Series 2025
UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell
UB40 are Britain's greatest reggae artists and have survived more than 30 years in the music business and have clocked up more than 40 million record sales worldwide with songs like Kingston Town and Red, Red Wine. The summer of 1978 saw the eight members of the Birmingham band, soon to become UB40, drawn together by their love of Jamaican reggae. Taking their name from a notorious British unemployment form, the band played their first local gig in Birmingham in 1979, and spent the rest of the year performing at pubs and clubs around the UK. British radio legend John Peel was so impressed with the group's first demo tape that he invited them to perform on his Radio One show in 1980. At the same time, the band were also asked to support The Pretenders on their triumphant national tour. They released a Top 5 single in the UK in February 1980 and, in 1981, released a brace of albums, 'Present Arms' and 'Present Arms In Dub'. Their breakthrough came with the hit single, 'Red, Red Wine'. The song topped the British singles charts in 1983 and, after renewed promotion following the 1988 Nelson Mandela Concert at Wembley, the single reached the number 1 spot in the US. Only with Ali Campbell, the legendary voice of UB40, can audiences get to experience the closest thing to the sound of the hugely successful original line-up of UB40 as all the hits are played.
See UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell tour dates
Bitty McLean
A much loved talent with an astonishing voice and unnerving ability to pen a pop smash, McLean launched himself into the high end of the British charts with a string of top ten hits the early 90s. Born in 1972, Bitty’s earliest memories were punctuated with the music he would hear courtesy of his father’s sound system, where he started by singing over Jamaican Dub and Instrumental riddims. In 1992, McLean had not only co-produced and engineered but played and sang on UB40?s hugely successful album ‘Promises And Lies’ which sold in excess of 8 million copies. Bitty’s own material notched up 3 top ten singles in 1994. The subsequent years saw Bitty accrue a fearsome catalogue of top 30 singles, as well as playing UK arena tours with UB40, Wet Wet Wet and Simply Red.
See Bitty McLean tour dates
Trojan Soundsystem
Formed in 2004, London based Trojan Sound System are an institution in British Sound System culture. A talented team of selectors and vocalists, they relentlessly tour the globe, representing the most seminal reggae and ska record label in history. For the past decade, Trojan Sound System have spread their message of love and unity through the power of ska, roots, dub, dancehall and UK bass music, headlining club shows, captivating festival crowds and supporting legendary Jamaican acts such as the Wailers, Luciano, Sly and Robby and the late great Gregory Isaacs to name but a few.
See Trojan Soundsystem tour dates
Also Appearing
Pato Banton
rated excellent
Hitchin Priory
Tilehouse Street
Hitchin
SG5 2DL
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Hitchin Priory
Tilehouse Street
Hitchin
SG5 2DL
See all events at Hitchin Priory
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on Sun 31 August 2025