If the words 'protest singer' conjure up worthy-but-dull diatribes listened to in reverential silence by men in chunky sweaters, take a look at Michael Franti and Spearhead and think again. Franti's music faces the demons of racism, militarism and globalization head on, whilst a Spearhead gig offers 'part booty-shaking funk jam session, part soul deliverance, part cosmic transformation, and part social activism assembly, all rolled into one sweaty, sexy, raucous good time'.

Franti hit the big time with the hugely influential and fabulously-named Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy in the 90s, taking inspiration both musically and lyrically from Public Enemy with hard-hitting cuts like Socio-Genetic Experiment and Music and Politics. DHH supported U2 on the Achtung Baby tour and recorded with legendary beat poet William Burroughs.

Michael's post-DHH career has seen many twists and turns, both musically and politically. With Spearhead he continues to brew up an eclectic melting-pot of rock, reggae, dancehall, bossa nova, Afrobeat, and funk.'Onstage and off he is active in movements against the death penalty, the prison-industrial complex and corporate globalization, and lyrics from his post-September 11 song Bomb The World have found their way onto many a peace activist's t-shirt.

Franti's music is shot through with life-affirming optimism. "My role is as a storyteller and a songwriter. I'm somebody who is trying to keep the spirits of other people up, despite all the chaos and fear around us', he tells us. On the title track of the latest Spearhead album, Franti sings 'Even our worst enemies deserve music." And you can imagine a certain carpenter from Nazareth saying something not dissimilar.

In a word: frugtastic