Introduction

[Junkie Rock Star]

Hey everyone.. I've been reading these forums every now and then for ages, and finally decided to join up.

I'm a long time UB40 fan in Cape Town (SA) who ran away from school to buy Signing Off the day it was released here. Hadn't even heard it yet, but read good reviews in the UK music magazines that we used to get here 6 weeks late!

What can I say, I think I wore out that LP eventually, and only discovered a lot later that it wasn't even complete. We didn't get the 12" and we didn't get Burden Of Shame, which was deemed unsuitable for South African ears. In those pre-internet days there wasn't always instant info so I didn't even know about the missing tracks, but finally around the time of UB44 I happened to see an import copy of Signing Off in a record shop and got the full LP at last.

My first live show was Gaberone, Botswana in 1989 I think. We spent 2 days driving up from Cape Town, but oh was it worth it!

So wasn't I surprised when my cousin called to say UB40 were playing here again in April. That can't be I thought, especially since she said Ali Campbell was on the posters.. Anyway, I'm sure you all know the rest.. Have done my best on local forums to let people know the truth, fighting a lonely battle, although someone who has an avatar that looks suspiciously like Norman popped up on a news site here yesterday and said his piece. Anyone here?

Hope to see the real UB40 down here again sometime.....

Oh, and I love the "country music" album :)

[Niggy_Dawg]

Good work man and welcome to the forum :grin:

[GefferyMorgan]

Welcome, Junkie Rock Star! You've got a great story there!

[oLdbOi]

Hi junkie Rock Star, I see you and me are banging our heads at some folk on those news sites. Salutes bOi

[San Diego]

Welcome Junkie, thanks for your wonderful story and efforts to enlighten the masses. :grin:

[Junkie Rock Star]

Hi junkie Rock Star, I see you and me are banging our heads at some folk on those news sites. Salutes bOi

yea thanks for joining in, seemed to shut them up having more than one person to deal with...

you did look a bit like Norman on the really small avatar on that site!

can't really blame those ppl though, one of my good friends thinks she's a UB40 fan. She has Greatest Hits Vol 1 and doesn't even know anyone's name besides Ali. She also has Spice Girls CDs. People like that are exactly who're being targeted by the fake band. As long as they sell tickets using a name that doesn't belong to them, they don't care who's at the show.

[oLdbOi]

yea thanks for joining in, seemed to shut them up having more than one person to deal with...

you did look a bit like Norman on the really small avatar on that site!

can't really blame those ppl though, one of my good friends thinks she's a UB40 fan. She has Greatest Hits Vol 1 and doesn't even know anyone's name besides Ali. She also has Spice Girls CDs. People like that are exactly who're being targeted by the fake band. As long as they sell tickets using a name that doesn't belong to them, they don't care who's at the show.

Lol...NormskibOi...its the seasonal beard i guess!
It will take a lot more to convince those , how can I say " less educated " concerning musical knowledge, as well as the rights and wrongs!!

bOi

[Junkie Rock Star]

Thanks for the welcome everyone... I remember writing a review of the show when we got back from Botswana, I also remember I wrote it in Print Shop Pro on my old 286 computer - long gone now, wish I had kept it.

I remember a few things about that day, one was the group of kids sitting next to us who had driven up from Durban. We were comparing road trip stories, and they were drinking copious amounts of Brandy 'n Coke. Suffice to say, they passed out before UB40 took the stage, and woke up during the encore. I'll never forget the girl screaming at her friends to "wake up, UB40's on" only to realise they'd driven all the way to a foreign country to watch half the last song. Classic!

I also remember it pissed with rain during the opening acts, we were drenched - but it was a tropical rain on a really hot day, and by the time UB40 took the stage the sun had dried us out completely. They opened with Cherry Oh Baby, that I won't forget.

And they closed with Sing Our Own Song, which to us was pretty emotional. Singing Amandla Awethu could get one arrested back home, so being able to sing along with clenched fists was a taste of the freedom we didn't have back home at the time...

[rhondda rudie]

Welcome JRS.:-)Love the username.8):grin:

[Junkie Rock Star]

Welcome JRS.:-)Love the username.8):grin:

i'm neither a junkie, nor a rock star, i stole the username from a Suede b-side!

but yea, its a good username:)

[rhondda rudie]

i'm neither a junkie, nor a rock star, i stole the username from a Suede b-side!

but yea, its a good username:)

Are you a Stormers fan.:-)

[TiciaBlovesUB]

Welcome Junkie!

[Junkie Rock Star]

Are you a Stormers fan.:-)

yeah of course :)