AWORCESTER musician whose brother was in an horrific car accident last year is organising a musical extravaganza in the city to raise funds for the charity that saved his life.

Thirty-year old Jeremy May, of Perdiswell, Worcester, spent six weeks in hospital after the crash last August on the outskirts of Kidderminster.

He had to be airlifted to Birmingham's Selly Oak hospital by the County Air Ambulance and suffered broken legs, ribs, jaw, ankle and collar bone.

Now his younger brother Jamie, aged 24 - who plays drums in rising city band Rainmaker - has organised a major music evening in Worcester to raise fund for the County Air Ambulance.

The event - which has taken is being held at Evolution in Lowesmoor on Friday, October 29, and features a selection of bands and performers - including Jeremy - who is now back on his feet and will be playing with his city-based covers band Cum Up And See Me.

"Jeremy's crash was pretty horrible, to be totally honest," said Jamie, who hopes the event will raise more than £500.

"The hospital said that, basically, if it wasn't for the attendance of the air ambulance there was no guarantee he might be here now, so I've always wanted to say thank you to them and we think this is the ideal opportunity."

Rainmaker - who formed in January this year and are beginning to turn heads with their raw rock 'n' roll sound - will be headlining the gig.

The band, pictured above, whose influences include Led Zeppelin, Supergrass, James Brown and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, comprises Jamie on drums, Anthony Rooney (vocals, lead guitar) and Chris Scott (bass, vocals).

Since writing three tracks for the BBC TV property show To Buy or Not To Buy in September, the band has been approached by record producer Martin Walker of Icehouse Studios in Stourbridge - who has produced such artists as The Wonder Stuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Dexy's Midnight Runners.

Their performance will be bolstered by half-hour sets from Worcester-based indie-rock band Velvet Wall, Jam tribute act Setting Suns, acoustic guitarist Sean Sheldon from Droitwich - and Cum Up And See Me.

"What we wanted to do really is put together an event where we can raise as much money as possible for the charity and also raise awareness of the local music scene," said Jamie.

Tickets for the event - which starts at 9.30pm - are £3 on the door.

Bushburys get tough

THE Bushbury's are set to bring their unique brand of pop tinged with harmonies The Eagles would be proud of to Worcester's Marr's Bar tonight.

The band has been touring Europe constantly since 1994, appearing at more than 200 festivals and more than 1,000 different venues.

During that period they have released 10 albums and, led by frontman and singer/songwriter Eddy Morton, have continued to forge a reputation as one of the finest live acts in the UK.

Last month saw the release of latest album 21st Century Day, once again featuring the songs of Eddy Morton, with the addition of new members Chris Lomas and Ivan Norris, the band continuing to develop a tougher and more mainstream sound.

Tickets are £6 in advance or £8 on the door.

THE DATSUNS-GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

(out now)

YOU wouldn't think from looking at them that such a group of skinny Kiwis would be capable of making such noise.

Hook them up with John Paul Jones of rock titans Led Zeppelin though and that fact isn't just confirmed but blown sky-high.

Girl's Best Friend is the first single from the band and is a romping-stomping monster of a tune, sprinkled with a liberal dose of Led Zep-style guitar riffs to produce the ultimate kick-start to the band's attempts at global domination/ world peace/free love (delete as applicable).

CLIENT CITY

(out now)

ELECTRO-pop duo Client formed while on the road with Depeche Mode, and there's an element of the latter's sound about them.

This is hardly surprising considering their latest album features collaborations with Martin Gore of Depeche Mode fame.

City is a back-to-the-coalface chunk of seductive, dark and raw industrial noise - from the robotic vocals and layers of beats on the first single from the album, Radio, to the bold, brassy I Want You, almost sounding like a clone of 90s band Dubstar.

And that's just it - while pleasant enough, this is ground well trodden but nevertheless is bound to divide the opinion of critics.

PETE MURRAY-SO BEAUTIFUL

(out now)

EVERYONE'S at it these days - actresses, actors, models... and now ex-rugby player Pete Murray puts down the ball to get behind the microphone for this haunting ballad which has already made him a household name in Australia.

It precedes his debut album Feeler here, which has already gone down a treat down under and looks set to do the same here.

NO HOPE IN NEW JERSEY - INVADERS (OF MY SPACE)

(out October 25)

THIS American-sounding band are a bit of a mystery - not least because, when combined with their name, you could be fooled into thinking they hail from the States..... wrong.

No Hope are a hotly-tipped British quartet. If you think along the lines of the Foo Fighters, Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age, then you're on the right track with this, their eagerly-awaited follow-up to debut single Narcolepsy/Sober.

Available as a download single from Monday, October 25 (via: www.nohopeinnewjersey.com), check them out before they go global.

GOOD CHARLOTTE THE CHRONICLES OF LIFE AND DEATH

(out now)

AS the oriental choir kicked in on opener Once Upon a Time - like an excerpt from some extravagant opera, I was convinced I must have put in the wrong CD.

However, any doubts this was not indeed Good Charlotte's latest were soon dispelled as the pummelling military-march beat of second track The Chronicles of Life And Death kicked in.

What ensues is more of the same from the skater punk-rock band who have already chalked up top singles with Lifestyles Of The Rich And The Famous and Girls and Boys last year. Also includes the chart-friendly boy band-esque I Just Wanna Live .

GREAT BLIND DEGREE - GREAT BLIND DEGREE (out now)

HAVING spent the last couple of years playing live dates across the country, band Great Blind Degree are building themselves up for a full-blown assault on the music scene with their raw electro-garage rock.

Their first official single has recently been recorded in Stratford and has yet to be released... in the meantime, check out their six-track promo CD.

The impressive collection features the awesome punk-edged Roginald Sons, complete with odd clucking sounds and the rocky But I'm Only a Substitute with its anthemic crescendo.Their bold tunes which have a hint of Gomez about them have already earned them a following on the live music scene.

BRIEFLY

what's going on

SPUNGE will be hitting Worcester this weekend for a gig at the city's Marr's Bar.

The band - which formed in July, 1994 - has built up a following by playing tour after tour.

They will be supported at the gig on Sunday night by Whitmore, Solabeat Alliance and Phinius Gage.

Tickets are £9 in advance or £10 on the door.