Description
This extremely rare live concert remain a limited-format release in United Kingdom, Europe in Australia in the late 80s and was never re-issued. The best and only high-quality physical media format that was ever released of this particular concert was through a long since discontinued and deleted format of LaserDisc in only one country, which was Japan.
The following has NEVER been REMASTERED and released on DVD until NOW!
This REMASTERED DVD is sourced directly from the original high quality Japan imported LaserDisc and remastered to DVD for the first time ever! Quality is unmatched as it transferred from the long since deleted LaserDisc Master from OVER THIRTY SEVEN years ago.
Background: This performance became one of UB40’s most widely circulated live recordings through a series of non-uniform international releases, never issued as a single standardized global home-video edition. Instead, it entered the collector market through multiple parallel formats:
Japanese LaserDisc (late 1980s–early 1990s) – the most sought-after and visually superior early release, issued during the peak of LaserDisc popularity in Japan, where the format remained a premium audiophile video medium
European VHS / PAL video editions (early 1990s, widely catalogued around 1992 reissues) – distributed through music video compilation labels and festival broadcast licensing
US broadcast and licensed home video variants (limited and often recompiled edits) – typically appearing as part of multi-artist video releases rather than standalone UB40 titles
This fragmented release history, combined with the superior mastering of the Japanese LaserDisc edition, has made that version particularly desirable among collectors. The present DVD/Blu-ray edition is sourced directly from that rare Japanese LaserDisc master, preserving its original broadcast framing and audio mix.
Description: This UB40 live concert film captures the band during the peak of their late-1980s international success, performing at Saint Andrew’s Stadium in Birmingham, England on 10 June 1989. Filmed in high-quality multi-camera broadcast style, the performance presents UB40 in a confident hometown setting, blending reggae, pop, dub, and socially conscious roots influences into a polished yet energetic live production that reflects the group’s enormous commercial and cultural presence at the end of the decade. The Birmingham setting carries additional significance given the band’s origins in the city, creating a particularly enthusiastic atmosphere with a large, highly engaged home audience.
Across the performance, UB40 deliver a set built around their breakthrough catalogue and major international hits, balancing politically aware early material with the smoother reggae-pop sound that brought them mainstream chart dominance throughout the 1980s. The rhythm section, horn arrangements, and layered vocal harmonies are especially prominent throughout the concert, reinforcing the group’s signature live sound during this period. The performance is often noted for its tight pacing and professional execution, reflecting a band fully comfortable operating on major arena and stadium stages following the sustained success of albums such as Rat in the Kitchen and their broader late-1980s crossover popularity.
Contemporary UK and European music press responses to UB40’s 1989 live performances generally highlighted the band’s disciplined musicianship, strong audience connection, and ability to translate studio productions effectively into large-scale concert environments. Critics frequently commented on the increasingly polished and commercially accessible nature of the group’s reggae style, while still acknowledging the strength of their live performances and their effectiveness as a crowd-focused touring act. Retrospectively, fans and collectors often regard this late-1980s period as one of UB40’s most refined and consistently powerful live eras.
This concert later circulated through various international broadcast and home video releases during the late 1980s and early 1990s, becoming a sought-after archival document among collectors of UB40 live material. It remains valued as a strong representation of the band’s definitive late-80s sound and stage presence, preserving a major hometown performance from one of the most commercially successful phases of their career.
Live at St Andrew’s Stadium (home of Birmingham City FC), Birmingham, England on the 10th of June 1989.
Track Listing:
Food for Thought
Don’t Slow Down
Tyler
Cherry Oh Baby
Please Don’t Make Me Cry
Kingston Town
Rat in Mi Kitchen
One in Ten
Red Red Wine
(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You
Present Arms / Encore medley (as performed in original festival set)
The set reflects UB40’s ability to balance socially conscious early material with their international chart successes, delivered with the rhythmic precision and horn-led arrangements that defined their late-1980s live identity.
Total Running Time: 58 Minutes
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.