Beloved sons of Birmingham UB40 brought their Unstoppable tour, and the party, to the Bp pulse LIVE arena on Saturday evening and were greeted by a rapturous reception from a loyal home crowd. 

The global reggae stars know just how to please, and delivered a pitch-perfect set. Hit followed hit - and they have plenty to choose from. With more than 50 singles in the UK charts over the years, their back catalogue is the stuff of legend, and all the old favourites were there.

The band appeal to fans of all music, not just those who profess to love reggae. Their catchy tunes were the backdrop to millions of teenage lives in the 80s and 90s, and those same teenagers, now a few decades older and word-perfect with the lyrics, were ready to raise the roof. Everybody will have their favourites, but universally rapturous applause and a heavy dose of enthusiastic singing greeted Food For Thought, One In Ten, Rat In Mi Kitchen, Kingston Town - the list goes on and on. A perfect combination of brass, keyboard, guitar and of course the heavy drumbeats, UB40’s musical legacy is the ultimate collection of feelgood tunes.

The party in the crowd continued onstage - by the time the band got to Red Red Wine, they looked like they were having the time of their lives. Whipping up the crowd, and with plenty of audience participation, their enthusiasm was catching, the music was loud and the festive mood was impossible to ignore.

This concert was pure celebration of the long and successful journey the band have taken since their first gig at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath in 1979. UB40 have come a phenomenal distance since they were claiming the unemployment benefit that gave them their name - does anybody still remember the dark days of the snaking dole queues in Thatcher’s Britain? The lyrics of their early tunes reflected the mood of that time, but Saturday night proved that they have stood the test of time in the way that the songs of great bands do.

The line-up may have changed, musicians have come and gone, but the distinctive UB40 sound and infectious rhythm remain. An up-tempo, nostalgia-filled evening of glee, Saturday night was all the proof that is needed that UB40 have cemented their position as Birmingham musical royalty.

Reviewed by Rachel Smith