Pembroke Castle have announced that the world’s most successful reggae band, UB40, are set to headline their annual ‘Rock the Castle’ concert. The open air concert in Pembrokeshire’s most picturesque and historic setting will take place on Saturday, June 16, 2018.
Formed in the summer of 1978, the band, who named themselves after an unemployment form, went on to record hit after hit throughout the ’80s and ’90s, filling the charts with much loved songs such as Red Red Wine, I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You, and Kingston Town. They have gone on to sell over 70 million records worldwide and are still one of the hardest working and well respected live bands in the business, touring extensively worldwide.
The band retains its key founding members Robin Campbell (co-lead vocals and guitar), Earl Falconer (bass and vocals), Brian Travers (sax and keyboards), Jimmy Brown (drums), Norman Hassan (percussion and vocals) and since 2008 they have been joined by lead singer Duncan Campbell who took over singing duties from his brother Ali Campbell.
The band also features Martin Meredith (sax) and Lawrence Parry (trumpet), who have both been in UB40’s touring line-up for over 20 years, and Tony Mullins (keyboards). Between them they create a genre-defining synergy of horns and rhythm that are uniquely UB40.
.jpeg?width=209&height=140&crop=209:145,smart&quality=75)
Castle manager, Jon Williams, said: “UB40 are one of the biggest names in the music industry and we are very excited about bringing them to Pembrokeshire for the first time. Our Rock The Castle weekend gets bigger and better every year and we expect tickets to sell quickly for this one.”
The UB40 announcement follows last week’s news that The World Famous Elvis Show starring Chris Connor will headline on Friday, June 15. Tickets for both will go on sale at 10 am on Friday, November 24, and will be available from Pembroke Castle Gift Shop which is open daily from 10 am to 4 pm, by calling the castle ticket line on 01646 681510, and online at www.pembrokecastle.co.uk where you can also find all of the event details and information you might need.
Last year’s Rock the Castle saw thousands enjoy live music from The Fratellis, Toploader, The Bootleg Beatles and Horrible Histories live, and previous years have included performances from Jools Holland, Jamie Lawson, Only Men Aloud, Abba Revival, Killer Queen and The Counterfeit Stones.