Campbell: 'Where Were The War Songs?'

UB40 frontman ALI CAMPBELL has praised fellow rockers Bono and Sting for using their celebrity profiles to raise political awareness - but is astonished no one spoke out about the devastating war in Iraq.

The reggae impresario insists that, even though it is essential to pay attention to poverty, such as in the Live 8 rock extravaganza, other issues have been neglected.

He says, "War songs were very conspicuous by their absence.

"We've been at war with Iraq and no-one's talking about it and I think people in our position are obliged to say something.

"But we don't think about influencing people. We think about making people dance."