ANNIE LENNOX, Travis, Texas and Dido are among the stars appearing in the tartan Live 8 concert at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to mark the opening of the G8 Summit on July 6.

Midge Ure, who is organising Live 8 events with Bob Geldof, announced yesterday what he called a more eclectic line-up than for the Hyde Park concert on June 2 which includes the likes of Madonna and U2.

In another departure from London, he said that the free Edinburgh gig would have a strong “African essence”. Several leading African musicians are being invited through Womad and Peter Gabriel.

Other confirmed acts include Natasha and Daniel Bedingfield, Damon Albarn, Jamie Cullum, Youssou N’Dour, Embrace, The Zutons, Wet Wet Wet, the Proclaimers, Snow Patrol and Lucie Silvas. Poets and comedians are included in the line-up and the Pope, Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela have been asked to take part, probably via video-link. Details of their involvement will be announced on Friday.

Ure said that the Edinburgh concert would sustain the momentum started by the 100,000-strong Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh on June 2 and the Hyde Park extravaganza. It was an opportunity, he said, to celebrate the chance that G8 leaders had to end what he called Africa’s daily holocaust of 30,000 children, a fact he emphasised by screening a video by Annie Lennox, who is currently in Africa, which featured footage of the continent’s HIV child victims and her song “ Why?”

The 62,000 free tickets for Murrayfield will be distributed through a text competition and lottery similar to the one used for Hyde Park. The evening concert is expected to last about three hours and will be beamed live to other stadiums across Scotland.

Ure said he did not expect any trouble and confirmed he was bringing his wife and four daughters to Edinburgh to “stand up and be counted and to join the party. I would not bring my family to something that could be a dreadful situation,” he said.

A series of events, such as classical and jazz concerts, were being organised for Edinburgh for people who failed to get in to the Murrayfield event, he added.

Kirsty McNeil of Make Poverty History emphasised that all events would be peaceful and said that any violence would be the “grossest betrayal” of the thousands of Africans who died every day.

Sir Richard Branson also pledged his support. He said that he would supply a Virgin 747 plane from America and a train from London to carry campaigners to Scotland. Stagecoach is also providing 1,000 cheap bus tickets from London to Edinburgh.

Ure urged people to only come to Edinburgh if they had transport and accommodation. “I said last week, Edinburgh open your hearts and homes. I meant to people you know, not axe murderers,” he said. “I don’t think I ever said one million will come to Edinburgh. We don’t know how many people are coming.”

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