Ali Campbell For Australia's Raggamuffin Festival

Ali Campbell will return to Australia in early 2009 to join the Raggamuffin reggae festival.

The legendary voice of UB40 has been touring with his own 9-piece band called the Dep band promoting his debut solo album Running Free.

Stephen Marley has had to withdraw from the tour due to a knee injury. His European tour has also been cancelled, as he is under doctor’s orders to rest his knee whilst awaiting surgery.

"I am really looking forward to the Raggamuffin Festival this year. I will be bringing my new band, the Dep band to Australia, to join a fantastic line up. Last year, the festival was awesome, the crowds were great and we all enjoyed the tour enormously," Campbell said.

"Australia has always been one of my favourite places to tour. We’re looking forward to playing some tracks from Running Free, as well as some of the classic hits along the way."

The band joins Ziggy Marley, Eddie Grant, Shaggy, Arrested Development and Bonjah on the Raggamuffin stage in Perth on Saturday January 24.

Raggamuffin played to more than 70,000 fans through February this year, proving that reggae is alive and well.

This year’s event offers a six hour musical feast of the world’s best reggae artists, with a healthy dose of funk, dub, hip hop and soul. It will be the first ever visit to Australia by Eddy Grant.