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UB40 in the USSR: what the reggae band did to tour behind the Iron Curtain

"We were swapped for the Bolshoi Ballet - it was a cultural exchange tour! It was also a cultural shock for us..."

The story of the tour of "British reggae kings" UB40 in the Soviet Union

Back in the day. 1986 The year saw a high-profile and almost unthinkable event for the Soviet Union: the Iron Curtain was breached. British reggae band! UB40 included Moscow and Leningrad in their extensive tour, and many people still wonder how the western band managed to get permission to perform.

Today, concerts in Russia are for every "taste and colour", as they say. But back then, a visit by a Western artist was comparable to an event on a global scale! And one could count these truly legendary moments on one's fingers. But the visit of UB40 was special - at least because the band was modern and anarchist! However, as you might expect - the performances did not go "smoothly".

Powerful reggae in the USSR

UB40
UB40

UB40 - the first "white reggae kings" who also managed to visit USSR. The progressive band was not wildly popular, but the whole country was waiting for its arrival! More out of curiosity. The visit of a young western band quickly became a sensation. The band from Birmingham was interesting because all its members were unemployed in the past, and its lyrics were sharply protesting and criticising politics Margaret Thatcher: the songs boldly tackled hot topics such as unemployment, addictions, societal grievances and tensions in general.

"We weren't initially sure ourselves that the concerts would happen..."

It was also a nonsense that for the first time in history foreign stars brought with them all the equipment, which took as long as three lorries! Costs were high, but the band hoped to recoup them with the release of a live album and a live film.

Prior to the USSR, the reggae team played a successful tour of the U.S.A.And so - from the American dream she flew to the Iron Curtain, which she cleverly jumped over! The band played a powerful and exciting Jamaican sound, which inspired the Soviet youth immensely! Even without understanding the words, many left the concert under a colossal impression... An extraordinary revolutionary energy reigned in the air.

Today, revisiting the tapes from those years, vocalist and founder of the Ali Campbell is experiencing a certain irony. At the time, few people understood anything, but today it is obvious: almost everything the participants said to the audience was translated "differently". For example:

"I said: "It's amazing how a huge and powerful country like yours is afraid of a couple of people just having a great time!". Instead, my words were translated as: "In this great country we are having a good time." At another concert, my brother Robin said: "You can dance!". This was translated as: "The concert doesn't start until everyone is seated". There are plenty of examples like that..."

Ban on dancing

UB40
UB40

But the peculiar translation was only half the trouble. What Campbell was most concerned about was. dance ban. The UB40 singer was literally furious! He was terribly angry with "people with red armbands and walkie-talkies", who almost forced the audience to "stay quietly in their seats".

"It spoilt everything! We spent hours convincing the vigilantes that it was normal to dance at our concerts and there was no crime in it".

When they called on the audience to "stand up and move around", their words were translated as "please stay in your seats and keep order". As a result, UB40's recent concerts were held under a large voltage:

"I personally watched the soldiers dancing to our music - they were having fun, with smiles on their faces! And then an officer ran up to them and shouted at them in a rude tone..."

During another concert, Campbell couldn't take it anymore and literally exploded! He stopped the show, pointed his finger on vigilantes and shouted: "Hey, you! Stop forbidding people to dance!"

Ali Campbell
Ali Campbell

Subsequently, one American diplomat recounted:

"Many Soviet people were outraged! They said, "In all countries, people go to concerts and dance. So why don't we have the right to do that?!"

The reasons cited for such a ban were safety rulesBut they didn't care much about them... The audience wanted a drive!

How UB40 managed to penetrate the Iron Curtain and what does the Bolshoi Ballet have to do with it?

UB40
UB40

To this day, people still wonder how this funky reggae band managed to break through behind the Iron Curtain?! Freer politics played its part in this high-profile event Gorbachevas well as a rock journalist Artemy Troitsky:

"When I was asked what I thought of this band, I said: "It's a very good progressive band! But its members are lazy and unemployed..."

But the UB40s weren't just progressive, they were truly anarchist project. Many people thought that after such "dance excitement" no Western group would ever come to the USSR again. But it turned out otherwise - from now on, the doors to our country were open!

https://youtu.be/HxY1hZyNcpM

subsequently Ali Campbell reminisced:

"We were swapped for the Bolshoi Ballet - it was a cultural exchange tour! It was also a cultural shock for us..."

The participants really disliked the fact that people were forbidden to dance and fully enjoy the show. Nevertheless, the tour went on hurrah! Soon after, an album was released on Melodia. "Rat in the Kitchen"part of the proceeds from the sale of which went to help victims of the terrible Chernobyl accident.

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