London 2012: Olympic torch relay concerts line-up revealed
- Published
Award-winning rapper Dizzee Rascal and chart-topping boy band The Wanted will be among the artists performing at a series of Olympic torch relay concerts.
The gigs in Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Birmingham and London's Hyde Park are part of celebrations in the run up to the Games which start on 27 July.
During the torch relay, which starts on 19 May, 66 nights of celebrations have been planned across the UK.
The70-day torch relaystarts at Land's End and ends at the Olympic Stadium.
Kicking off the first of four free music concerts, which mark the day when the torch visits those cities, is the event in Cardiff on 25 May, followed by Glasgow on 8 June, Leeds on 24 June and Birmingham on 30 June.
'Music and celebration'
People have until 11 April to apply in a ballot for up to four tickets for the Coca-Cola-presented nights and a proportion of the tickets will be reserved for people living locally.
There are 16,000 tickets available for both Cooper's Field in Cardiff and Glasgow's George Square, 50,000 for Temple Newsam Park in Leeds, 20,000 for Birmingham and 80,000 for Hyde Park.
Tickets for the finale concert in London on 26 July will cost £15, plus a processing fee, and will go on sale at 09:00 BST on 29 March.
People wishing to register for or to buy tickets can do so on the website of ticket agency Ticketmaster.
Rock band You Me At Six, Brit award winner Emeli Sandé and Cardiff-born Kids In Glass Houses will perform at the first concert in Cardiff.
Two weeks later Scottish-born Sandé, singer-songwriter Eliza Doolittle and indie rockers General Fiasco will lead the celebrations in Glasgow.
In Leeds Mercury Prize nominees Friendly Fires, rock four-piece Tribes and indie trio Little Comets will perform to the crowd at Temple Newsam Park.
Details for the concert in Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park have not been finalised.
Ticketholders to the final concert in Hyde Park, the day before the opening ceremony of the Games, will see performances by Dizzee Rascal, The Wanted, You Me At Six, Eliza Doolittle, Mark Ronson and Katy B.
They will be joined by Rizzle Kicks and Wretch 32, both of whom have had recent UK number one singles, Morning Parade, Loick Essien and Little Comets.
James Williams, director Olympic torch relay, Coca-Cola Northwest Europe & Nordics, which is sponsoring the concerts, said they were a " fantastic opportunity to bring music and celebration to every corner of the UK as the Olympic flame progresses its journey".
"We're encouraging everyone in Wales to join in celebrating the Future Flames who have carried the Olympic flame through their communities by registering for tickets to their local events and the finale celebration concert in London's Hyde Park," he added.
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