Top musicians band together for Haitians

The benefit concert at the Queen's Hall will feature some of the best-known local musicians.

How you can help: Donate via the mercy corps website at www.mercycorps.org.uk/haiti or by calling 0845 245 0686 between 8am and 8pm.

All proceeds from the event will go towards the Evening News-backed campaign, launched by local charity Mercy Corps and the city council, which is helping provide vital aid to the millions caught up in the devastating earthquake.

Other charity nights are also being organised to help the campaign, which has already raised more than 200,000.

The concert has been set up by local singer and music promoter Liz MacEwan, who said she was originally planning a smaller event but had been overwhelmed by the amount of people looking to take part and support it. The singer, who enjoyed sell-out success in the Capital with her Tribute to Peggy Lee show, said: "When I saw the footage of the disaster on TV, I immediately wanted to help and I thought of organising a fundraising event at one of the local clubs I play.

"After a couple of days, it became pretty clear that there were so many people wanting to go, and so many friends wanting to take part, that we needed a bigger venue.

"I got in touch with Mercy Corps and they put us in touch with the Queen's Hall, and they said they would be happy to let us use the venue.

"We hope the event will be a sell-out and we are still looking for a few sponsors to get involved and help make the night a huge success."

Performing alongside Liz and the Blind Lemons will be another well-known local musician, Tam White, a Scottish blues legend who also gained huge recognition from his appearance in Braveheart.

Other local groups taking part include Nobby Clark, of Bay City Rollers fame, as well as Safehouse, Soulussion, The Rattlers featuring Davy Sloane, and Senegalese samba band SambaSene.

Queen's Hall chief executive Adrian Harris said: "We have been carrying out collections for Mercy Corps after performances, so when they got in touch we were happy to help out.

"I'm sure it will be a great success, as audiences have seemed very keen to support the appeal and there are some top musicians playing."

John Cunningham, director of fundraising at Mercy Corps, said: "This event promises to be a fantastic evening for a great cause. It's wonderful to see Edinburgh's music community come together like this."

The Edinburgh Bands Together for Haiti concert is being held on 7 March, at 6:30pm, and tickets are on sale now.

The Traverse Theatre has also organised a fundraiser, which will see performances from comedian Craig Hill, playwright David Greig, singer Clare Knight and DJ Grandma Staflasch.

The Benefit for Haiti Event is being held on 7 February, at 7pm.