UB40 Australia Tour 2027

UB40 bring The Unstoppable Tour to Australia and New Zealand in May 2027, with Soul II Soul as special guests. Six shows are confirmed: the Ice Cream Factory in Perth on Monday 17 May, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on Wednesday 19 May, Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on Thursday 20 May, the TikTok Entertainment Centre in Sydney on Saturday 22 May, the Riverstage in Brisbane on Sunday 23 May and Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday 26 May.

This is the Birmingham band that has carried on under the UB40 name since Ali Campbell's departure in 2008, with co-founder Robin Campbell and fronted since 2021 by Matt Doyle. It is not the separate line-up billed as UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, whose Australian visits are not counted on this page. The tour takes its name from Unstoppable, the new album the band announced in November 2025 for release in early 2027.

Tickets have been on sale since Thursday 13 August 2026. Below are the confirmed dates and venues, the band's long history in Australia and New Zealand, from four nights at the Hordern Pavilion in 1994 to the Red Red Wine Tour of October 2024, and what the recent set lists looked like.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: confirmed dates

The 2027 run moves from west to east before crossing the Tasman. It starts at the Ice Cream Factory, an event space on Roe Street in Northbridge, Perth, on Monday 17 May, then goes to the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre on Wednesday 19 May and Margaret Court Arena at Melbourne Park on Thursday 20 May.

Sydney's show is on Saturday 22 May at the TikTok Entertainment Centre at Darling Harbour, and Brisbane follows the next evening, Sunday 23 May, at the Riverstage, the open-air amphitheatre in the City Botanic Gardens. The last show is at Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday 26 May 2027, the only New Zealand date.

Soul II Soul, the London group behind “Keep On Movin'” and “Back to Life”, are the special guests. Pairing two British bands rooted in reggae and sound-system culture gives the bill a strong late-1980s flavour, and both acts' biggest songs date from that period.

As of 9 October 2026 no other cities have been announced. The Gold Coast, Hobart, Christchurch and several regional centres hosted UB40 on recent tours but are not on the 2027 itinerary; if more dates are added, the alert on this page will tell you.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: venue guide

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 at Ice Cream Factory, Perth

The Ice Cream Factory is an event and festival space on Roe Street in Northbridge, the entertainment district just north of Perth's city centre. It is used for concerts, festival nights and seasonal events, with a capacity of around 5,000.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, Adelaide

The Theatre is the smaller hall of the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Hindmarsh, which opened in July 1991. It was added during the $52 million redevelopment completed in 2010 and holds about 3,000 people, alongside the main arena's 11,300.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 at Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne

Margaret Court Arena is the third-largest stadium at Melbourne Park, home of the Australian Open. It opened in 1988 as Show Court One, was renamed in 2003 and gained a retractable roof in a redevelopment completed in January 2015; it holds about 7,500.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 at TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney

The TikTok Entertainment Centre is the 9,000-seat theatre of the International Convention Centre Sydney at Darling Harbour, which opened in December 2016. Previously the First State Super Theatre, Aware Super Theatre and ICC Sydney Theatre, it took its current name in November 2025.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 at Riverstage, Brisbane

The Riverstage is an outdoor amphitheatre in Brisbane's City Botanic Gardens, owned by Brisbane City Council and opened in September 1989. Inspired by the temporary stage built for World Expo 88, it holds about 9,500 people on concrete and lawn areas, and Powderfinger played their final show there in 2010.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 at Spark Arena, Auckland

Spark Arena is Auckland's largest indoor arena, opened in March 2007 as Vector Arena in Quay Park, Parnell, close to the city centre. Spark New Zealand took over the naming rights in April 2017, and the venue holds more than 13,000 people for general events.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: night by night

Monday 17 May 2027 — Ice Cream Factory, Perth. Their most recent documented Perth show was at Red Hill Auditorium on 20 October 2024. This is the opening night of the run.

Wednesday 19 May 2027 — Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, Adelaide. UB40 last played Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 2 June 1994 (1994 Australasian Tour).

Thursday 20 May 2027 — Margaret Court Arena, Melbourne. Their previous show at this venue was on 17 October 2024, on the Red Red Wine Tour 2024.

Saturday 22 May 2027 — TikTok Entertainment Centre, Sydney. In Sydney, the last documented UB40 concert was at Hordern Pavilion (16 October 2024).

Sunday 23 May 2027 — Riverstage, Brisbane. UB40 last played Riverstage on 15 February 2008.

Wednesday 26 May 2027 — Spark Arena, Auckland. In Auckland, the last documented UB40 concert was at The Trusts Arena (10 October 2024). This venue closes the tour.

Before the UB40 Australia Tour 2027: Australia/NZ concert history

The setlist.fm archive first finds UB40 in Australia at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney on 1 April 1990, on the Labour of Love II Tour. Their biggest visit came four years later, on the 1994 Australasian Tour that followed Promises and Lies. It began in the north, at the Gardens Amphitheatre in Darwin on 21 May and the Kuranda Amphitheatre in far north Queensland on 24 May, then took in the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, four nights at the Hordern Pavilion (27, 28 and 30 May and 4 June), the Royal Theatre in Canberra, the Adelaide Entertainment Centre and the National Tennis Centre at Flinders Park in Melbourne. New Zealand followed in June: Christchurch Town Hall, Dunedin Town Hall, the Trafalgar Centre in Nelson, the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth and two nights at The Supertop in Auckland.

Later visits were shorter. The Labour of Love III World Tour reached Puhinui Reserve in Auckland in January 1999 and the Metro Nightclub in Melbourne in February. In August 2004 the band played the Palais Theatre in Melbourne and the Queens Wharf Event Centre in Wellington, and in February 2006, touring Who You Fighting For?, they played the Twin Towns Services Club at Tweed Heads, the TSB Bowl of Brooklands in New Plymouth and Rotorua International Stadium with a 22-song set that ran from “Food for Thought” and “Who You Fighting For” to “Rat in Mi Kitchen”, “Can't Help Falling in Love” and “One in Ten”.

February 2008, just after Ali Campbell announced he was leaving, brought another run: Rotorua International Stadium on 2 February, then the Hordern Pavilion and the Enmore Theatre in Sydney, the WACA Ground in Perth, Vodafone Arena in Melbourne, the Riverstage in Brisbane, Wyndham Estate Winery at Dalwood in the Hunter Valley and Red Devil Park in Byron Bay. With Duncan Campbell now singing, the band's 2015 Australian tour in November went deep into the regions: Brothers Leagues Club in Cairns, The Tivoli in Brisbane, the Coolangatta Hotel, C.ex Coffs in Coffs Harbour, Newcastle Civic Theatre, the Big Top at Luna Park in Sydney, Waves in Wollongong, the Forum in Melbourne, Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide and Metropolis in Fremantle.

The 2017 Australasian Tour in November opened in New Zealand at Horncastle Arena in Christchurch and The Trusts Arena in Auckland, then played The Tivoli in Brisbane, NightQuarter on the Gold Coast, the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney and Festival Hall in Melbourne. After Matt Doyle joined, the band toured Bigga Baggariddim with dates at Hobart City Hall and The Star Event Centre in Sydney in late September and early October 2022, then returned for a summer run: Church Road Winery in Napier, the TSB Bowl of Brooklands, Matakana Country Park, Trafalgar Park in Nelson and the Queenstown Polo Fields in New Zealand, followed in January 2023 by Caloundra, Eatons Hill, HOTA on the Gold Coast, the Big Top at Luna Park, the Forum in Melbourne and the Riverside Theatre in Perth.

The most recent visit was the Red Red Wine Tour of October 2024. It started at Wolfbrook Arena in Christchurch on 8 October and The Trusts Arena in Auckland on 10 October, then played the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Eatons Hill Hotel in Brisbane, the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on 17 October, the AEC Theatre in Adelaide on 18 October and Red Hill Auditorium in Perth on 20 October. Two of those rooms, Margaret Court Arena and the Adelaide Entertainment Centre's theatre, are on the 2027 itinerary again.

The table below lists 70 documented Australia/NZ concerts by UB40 between 1990 and 2024, with the most shows in Sydney (13), Melbourne (8), Brisbane (6), Auckland (5), Gold Coast (4), Perth (3). It is not exhaustive: it only includes documented shows.

Concert data: setlist.fm

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 setlist: the songs played most often in Australia and New Zealand

Across the 14 most recent documented Australia/NZ concerts with a full song list (18 February 2006 to 10 October 2024), these are the songs that came up most often. Titles only — set lists change from night to night.

1. Bring Me Your Cup — played at 14 of 14 shows
2. Cherry Oh Baby — played at 14 of 14 shows
3. Sing Our Own Song — played at 14 of 14 shows
4. Can't Help Falling in Love — played at 13 of 14 shows
5. Here I Am (Come and Take Me) — played at 13 of 14 shows
6. Kingston Town — played at 13 of 14 shows
7. Red Red Wine — played at 13 of 14 shows
8. Come Back Darling — played at 12 of 14 shows
9. Food for Thought — played at 11 of 14 shows
10. One in Ten — played at 11 of 14 shows
11. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain — played at 6 of 14 shows
12. Don't Break My Heart — played at 6 of 14 shows
13. Midnight Rider — played at 6 of 14 shows
14. Homely Girl — played at 5 of 14 shows

Before the UB40 Australia Tour 2027: past Australia/NZ tours at a glance

• Red Red Wine Tour 2024 (2024): 1 Australia/NZ show — Melbourne.
• Red Red Wine Tour (2024): 1 Australia/NZ show — Auckland.
• Bigga Baggariddim (2022): 2 Australia/NZ shows — Hobart, Sydney.
• Who You Fighting For? (2006): 3 Australia/NZ shows — Tweed Heads, New Plymouth, Rotorua.
• Labour Of Love III World Tour (1999): 2 Australia/NZ shows — Auckland, Melbourne.
• Labour Of Love II Tour (1990): 1 Australia/NZ show — Sydney.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 and Australia/NZ festivals

UB40's Australian and New Zealand record under this line-up is made up of headline tours rather than the big festival bills. Their outdoor shows have tended to be winery and summer concerts: Wyndham Estate in the Hunter Valley and Red Devil Park in Byron Bay in 2008, and Church Road Winery, Matakana Country Park and the Queenstown Polo Fields in New Zealand over the 2022-23 summer.

No festival appearance in Australia or New Zealand had been announced for 2027 as of 9 October 2026; all six dates are the band's own shows with Soul II Soul.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: career and records

UB40 formed in Birmingham in 1978 and played their first gig at the Hare & Hounds pub in Kings Heath in February 1979. The name, suggested by a friend, came from the British unemployment benefit form, and their first album, Signing Off (1980), was recorded in a bedsit and spent 71 weeks on the UK chart. Founder members included the brothers Ali and Robin Campbell, Jimmy Brown, Earl Falconer, Norman Hassan and Brian Travers, with Mickey Virtue and Astro completing the classic line-up in 1979.

The band moved from political reggae (“One in Ten”, “Food for Thought”) to a run of reggae covers that made them one of the best-selling acts of the 1980s and 1990s. Labour of Love (1983), with “Red Red Wine”, reached number 14 in Australia, and Promises and Lies (1993), home to their version of “(I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You” from the film Sliver, went to number 1. Over their career they have sold more than 100 million records and been nominated four times for the Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

The line-up held for nearly 29 years until January 2008, when Ali Campbell left, followed by Mickey Virtue. His brother Duncan Campbell became lead singer, and Astro stayed until November 2013, when he joined Ali and Mickey in a rival band using the UB40 name. Duncan, who had once run a fish and chip shop in Perth, retired after a stroke and was replaced in July 2021 by Matt Doyle of the Birmingham reggae band Kioko. Brian Travers died in August 2021 and Astro in November 2021.

Under Doyle the band performed “Red Red Wine” at the closing ceremony of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and released the anthem “Champion”. UB45, their 21st studio album, came out in April 2024 for the band's 45th anniversary and reached number 5 in the UK. In November 2025 they announced Unstoppable for early 2027, and during the UK leg of the Unstoppable World Tour in June 2026 they added a cover of Shania Twain's “You're Still the One”, which is due to appear on the album.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: which UB40 is touring

Since 2014 two bands have used the UB40 name. The one touring Australia and New Zealand in May 2027 is the group that continued after Ali Campbell left in 2008: guitarist and singer Robin Campbell and the other remaining founders, with Matt Doyle on lead vocals since July 2021. Its recent records are Bigga Baggariddim (2021) and UB45 (2024), and the 2027 shows are named after its forthcoming album Unstoppable.

The other band, now billed as UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, formed around Ali Campbell, Astro and Mickey Virtue and has toured Australia under its own billing, including the Riverstage and the Enmore Theatre in December 2014, Bluesfest in 2016 and a short run in January 2017. Those shows are left out of the concert history on this page, which follows only the band behind The Unstoppable Tour.

If you are buying tickets, the 2027 billing to look for is UB40 with special guests Soul II Soul on The Unstoppable Tour. Ali Campbell has said there is no chance of a reunion of the two groups.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: Sydney, from the Hordern to Darling Harbour

No Australian room has hosted UB40 more often than the Hordern Pavilion at Moore Park. The band played it in 1990, four times on the 1994 tour, again in February 2008, in November 2017 and on the Red Red Wine Tour in October 2024. Sydney has also seen them at the Enmore Theatre, the Big Top at Luna Park in 2015 and 2023, and The Star Event Centre in 2022.

In 2027 the Sydney date moves to the TikTok Entertainment Centre at Darling Harbour on Saturday 22 May, a larger seated theatre than the Hordern. It is the only weekend night of the tour apart from Brisbane on the Sunday.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: Brisbane by the river

Brisbane's show on Sunday 23 May 2027 is at the Riverstage, the council-run outdoor amphitheatre in the City Botanic Gardens beside the Brisbane River. UB40 played there in February 2008, so the 2027 date marks a return to the venue after nineteen years.

In between, Brisbane saw the band indoors: The Tivoli in 2015 and 2017 and Eatons Hill Hotel in January 2023 and October 2024. An autumn evening at the Riverstage is a different kind of show, with a lawn as well as the concrete area in front of the stage.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: Auckland and New Zealand

New Zealand has been a steady market for UB40. Beyond Auckland and Wellington, the band has played Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, New Plymouth, Rotorua, Napier, Matakana and Queenstown over the years. New Plymouth's TSB Bowl of Brooklands alone hosted them in 2006 and again in December 2022, and Rotorua International Stadium in 2006 and 2008.

The 2027 tour has a single New Zealand date: Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday 26 May, which closes the whole run. Auckland's recent UB40 shows were at The Trusts Arena in West Auckland in 2017 and 2024; Spark Arena, near the city centre, is a bigger room. Christchurch, which hosted the band at Wolfbrook Arena in October 2024, is not on the 2027 schedule.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: Perth and Adelaide

Western Australia gets the opening night, at the Ice Cream Factory in Northbridge on Monday 17 May 2027. Perth's earlier UB40 shows include the WACA Ground in 2008, Metropolis in Fremantle in 2015, the Riverside Theatre in January 2023 and Red Hill Auditorium in October 2024.

Adelaide follows on Wednesday 19 May at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre Theatre, the same Hindmarsh complex where UB40 played the main arena in 1994 and the theatre in October 2024. Thebarton Theatre hosted them in 2015.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: what to expect live

The Red Red Wine Tour sets of October 2024 ran to about 20 songs. In Auckland on 10 October the band opened with “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)” and “Keep on Moving”, played “Homely Girl”, “Sing Our Own Song”, “One in Ten” and “Bring Me Your Cup”, introduced “Fool Me Once” from UB45, covered “Many Rivers to Cross” and “Gimme Little Sign”, and finished with “Red Red Wine”, “Food for Thought” (paired with the football chant “Forever Blue”), “Kingston Town” and “Can't Help Falling in Love”.

The 2022-23 summer shows, such as Big Top Luna Park on 14 January 2023, had 21 songs and leaned on Bigga Baggariddim, with “Champion”, “Tyler”, “King” and “Broken Man” alongside the hits. In November 2017 the sets were shorter, 13 songs, and included “Midnight Rider” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” from the country-flavoured Getting Over the Storm.

“Red Red Wine”, “Kingston Town”, “Cherry Oh Baby”, “Food for Thought” and “Can't Help Falling in Love” appear in almost every documented set. For 2027, expect material from Unstoppable as well; the band has already been playing its cover of “You're Still the One” on the UK leg. With Soul II Soul also on the bill, the night will be shared between two full sets.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027 tickets and presales

Tickets for all six shows went on general sale on Thursday 13 August 2026 and are available through the authorised ticket sellers for each venue and the venue box offices. Each city has one night only.

There is no public UB40 presale code to buy or share. Treat any code or “guaranteed ticket” offered on social media as a scam, check that the event is billed as UB40 on The Unstoppable Tour with Soul II Soul, and remember that most major Australian and New Zealand venues use name-locked mobile tickets.

If a show sells out or new dates are added, the alert below will let you know. Sign up below for the alert and we will email you when new UB40 tickets are released.

UB40 Australia Tour 2027: questions and answers

When does UB40's 2027 tour of Australia start?

At the Ice Cream Factory in Perth on Monday 17 May 2027.

Who is supporting UB40?

Soul II Soul are the special guests on all dates of The Unstoppable Tour in Australia and New Zealand.

Is UB40 playing New Zealand?

Yes, once: Spark Arena in Auckland on Wednesday 26 May 2027, the final show of the run.

Where is the Brisbane show?

At the Riverstage in the City Botanic Gardens on Sunday 23 May 2027. The band last played there in February 2008.

Is this Ali Campbell's UB40?

No. The Unstoppable Tour is by the UB40 that continued after Ali Campbell left in 2008, with Robin Campbell and lead singer Matt Doyle. UB40 featuring Ali Campbell is a separate band.

When did UB40 last tour Australia?

On the Red Red Wine Tour in October 2024, which ended at Red Hill Auditorium in Perth on 20 October after shows on the Gold Coast, in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Are tickets on sale?

Yes. General sale began on Thursday 13 August 2026 for all six shows.

Will there be new songs?

The tour is named after the album Unstoppable, announced for early 2027, and the band has been playing its cover of “You're Still the One” on the UK leg of the tour.