Ride, Bastille, Duran Duran and more to play tiny War Child gigs

Big acts lined up for charity's Passport Back To The Bars gigs

Duran Duran, Bastille, Ride‘s Mark Gardener and Andy Bell, and others will be performing a series of intimate gigs as part of War Child and O2’s Passport Back To The Bars series.

The week of one-off events offers exclusive access to big name acts in small venues around London and Manchester in February. Venues will be around 300 capacity and smaller, and fans will get the chance to win tickets by donating to War Child, a charity that aims to bring hope and safety to children in war zones across the world, including Syria, Iraq and Gaza.

This year marks ten years since War Child’s original Passport Back To The Bars shows for victims of the Iraq war, when acts included The Cure, David Gray, Elbow, Pet Shop Boys, Supergrass and Amy Winehouse.

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“2014 saw more people displaced by war than any year since World War II,” War Child’s Director of Music Ben Knowles said. “It is a global emergency. These child refugees have no passports. They don’t get to choose where war sends them. The support of these bands and the generosity of music fans can send them hope.”

Duran Duran’s John Taylor added: “Thousands of children are innocent victims in the war zones of adult conflict around the world. They are often being denied education and other basic human rights. We are looking forward to performing an exclusive event in London this coming February, in support of War Child and the important work they do in the regions where these children are suffering.

This past year we have spent most of our time in the studio working on new songs, so we are very much looking forward to getting back onto a London stage for this special appearance.”

Duran Duran revealed this summer that they are working with Nile Rodgers and Mark Ronson on their forthcoming 14th studio album. Earlier this year, the band also confirmed that they had been working with former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante.

War Child and O2’s Passport Back To the Bars gigs take place between February 16-24, 2015. The line up, dates, venues and details on how to win tickets will be announced in early January on the Warchild website.

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