A SELECTION of the cream of Worcester's up-and-coming acts will be coming together for a fund-raising bash to raise cash for victims of the tsunami disaster.

The charity music night - at Evolution, in Lowesmoor on Friday, February 25 - is the brainchild of musician Jamie May of Worcester band Rainmaker, who will head the event.

The rock band formed in January last year and have since been busy playing a wealth of gigs in and around Worcester and completing a five-track demo, Listening to Mirrors.

Their sound references such classic acts as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Muse, the Foo Fighters and Supergrass and has recently been bolstered by the addition of additional vocalist Russell Underwood - formerly of indie band Naive.

Jamie's will also be joined on stage by his musician brother Jeremy and his covers band, Cum Up And See Me.

Both groups will play headline sets of about 45 minutes and will be supported by classic Worcester-based indie rock band Velvet Wall; Droitwich psychedelic bluesy-indie group the Sean Sheldon Band; and Worcester indie act The Answer - who will each play shorter sets of about half an hour.

Jamie said he hoped it would be as successful as the charity music night they held with another clutch of bands at the venue in October last year.

The event was in aid of the County Air Ambulance and raised more than £450.

"There's been a lot of stories in the news about the tsunami disaster and, rather than contributing I think if we can do something bigger and better to raise funds then that's more worthwhile," said Jamie.

"Because I've been involved in music for at least seven years it's come together with people I've met over time and it was just a case of putting the word out and seeing what came back.

"It's good exposure for them really because there aren't a massive amount of venues around the area putting on live music.

"The last charity gig was fantastic and a real buzz - a lot of preparation went into it and on the night it went like clockwork."

The latest music night is Rainmaker's next step in their mission to get signed and they have been busy sending out their demo EP to various potential interested parties.

A copy has even fallen into the hands of big-name act Feeder after Jamie's brother-in-law Christian Willetts met them at a gig in Birmingham earlier this month.

Now the group is also attempting to cast their net further, with gigs beyond the Worcester area.

They are also considering returning to the studio shortly to put down some more material for a new release.

"It's a case of trying to find the right niche to battle through all of the acts which are out there," said Jamie.

"Obviously, if we've got something with a quality sound we've got an advantage but there's still hundreds of groups out there and we have to fight our way to the front of the queue.

"We have got a good appearance, a good sound though and we're constantly advised that we've got an energetic live show which is grabbing people's attention so that's where we come into a league of our own."

n Rainmaker can be seen next at University College Worcester on Friday, February 18.

The gig starts at 8pm and they will be supported on the night by the band Cum Up And See Me.