His musical career is dotted with anti-war slogans, politically-tinged music festivals and a fan base equally as keen.

Now Michael Franti and Spearhead, his latest band, prepare to play at the Leadmill next week as part of a UK tour to promote Franti's latest album, All Rebel Rockers.

The album is marked by reggae-infused tracks but, despite Franti's reputation as a political activist (he is alleged to have stopped wearing shoes in 2000 as means of empathising with the poor), politics lays low on this album.

Franti's earlier work Bomb the World produced anti-war slogans such as 'You can bomb the world into pieces but you can't bomb it into peace,' which adorned anti-war protest banners across the world.

All Rebel Rockers is much subtler in its political approach, seemingly more reliant on its music to ignite political response rather than its lyricism.

Although All Rebel Rockers appears less political than previous projects, his MySpace is covered with posts from fans alluding to Franti's ability inspire political consciousness.

One fan, David Doebler, posted a picture of Barack Obama holding a CD with the statement: "I had the opportunity to meet Senator Obama the other day and decided to purchase a Yell Fire CD as a gift, hoping it would inspire him in the way it did me."

Politics aside, expect some lively reggae hip hop and the odd floor-filler at the Leadmill on Tuesday (August 19).