Popular band lined up to play at Birmingham City's new 62,000 Powerhouse stadium | OneFootball

It may not be until 2030, but UB40 have seemed to force themselves to the front of the line to be the first band to play at the Blues' new ground

Last summer, Birmingham City unveiled their plans to build a 62,000-capacity Powerhouse Stadium as part of owner Tom Wagner's ever-growing ambition to make the Blues one of the biggest clubs in England.

It'll be the centre-piece of the brand new Sports Quarter, which Wagner told the BBC back in June would be "an entertainment venue unlike many others in the world."

A 15,000-20,000-seat arena and numerous show-pitches would be built on the site, too, with the goal being to host multiple international sporting and entertainment events, including music concerts.

In November, images of the plans for the Powerhouse Stadium were revealed, with the expectation that it would have a retractable roof and a movable pitch for other events to take place within it.

And while the construction may not be complete until the start of the 2030/31 campaign, a popular local band have touted themselves to be the first to perform there.

UB40 put themselves forward for a performance at new Birmingham City stadium

According to UB40's lead singer, Robin Campbell, who spoke to Birmingham Live, the British reggae band, who were formed in Birmingham back in 1978 and have hits such as 'Red Red Wine' and 'Dance With the Devil', have earmarked themselves to be the first band to perform at the 62,000-capacity stadium.

The group are Birmingham fans, and regularly go to games, where they are "looked after beautifully" by the club.

"We're in talks with Tom Wagner about various things," Campbell said. " I actually said to Tom: 'Don't forget. When you open the new stadium, we're the first band you will have there.

"He said back: 'We'll make that happen.'

"But we're not looking at one final gig at St Andrew's either, we're looking at possibly more. Villa fans hate that we're connected to Birmingham City, but as far as we're concerned, we're all Brummies. Supporting Birmingham football teams is what it's all about."

UB40's homecoming gig on their current tour sees them head to the BP Pulse Live Arena on June 20, but they have performed at St Andrew's countless times before.

The Birmingham-formed band gigged there back in the 1980s during their prime, and kicked off their 2024 world tour at the stadium over the Easter Weekend, a weekend which also saw the ground's name changed to its current name, St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

UB40 would be the first of many to perform at the new Birmingham City stadium

Image supplied by Grayling

Image supplied by Grayling

While on the field, Birmingham has come up short when it comes to achieving the targets Tom Wagner set out for them. Off-field, the Blues are right on track.

Work is undergoing on the development of the Sports Quarter, and the 2030 target date is still in place for that season, which kicks off in just over four years.

It seems like plenty of impressive acts will be taking to the stage there, and in the interim, it's up to the Blues to keep pace on the field.

By the time the ground opens in 2030, Birmingham will hopefully have a team worthy of playing in such an impressive stadium and a projection which will have them on their way to welcoming some of Europe's elite to play there.

If that timeline is met, and the quality of football can be matched by the quality of entertainment put on at the stadium during the off-season, the Blues could be on their way towards being one of the biggest financial powerhouses in the country.