THE biggest names in world of music have agreed to take part in the Live 8 series of free concerts.

The line-up for the British concert includes Robbie Williams, Madonna and former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

They will be joined by Coldplay, Sir Elton John, Keane, Joss Stone and REM, as well as other big names.

The other concerts will see performances by Stevie Wonder, in Philadelphia, Brian Wilson, in Berlin, Duran Duran, in Rome and Jamiroquai, in Paris. Other stars will be announced shortly - with the Spice Girls rumoured to be staging a reunion.

Bob Geldof said: "I spoke to them this morning and it's looking very good.

"There's a lot of stuff they have got to sort, though. They are trying to resolve differences of many years."

The 150,000 tickets for the Hyde Park gig will be made available through a text lottery.

At 8am next Monday, a multiple choice question will be broadcast on TV and radio, and will also be printed in newspapers.

The public can text in the answer and after seven days a computer will randomly choose the lucky winners, who will each receive a pair of tickets.

The shows will be broadcast on the BBC and giant screens will be installed in Birmingham, Hull, Liverpool, Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Belfast, Leeds and Wrexham.

Geldof, who announced the line-up at a Press conference in London, was joined by Sir Elton John, who played at the original Live Aid concert in 1985.

Sir Elton said: "When the Live Aid concert happened 20 years ago I was pretty much a self-obsessed drug addict.

"Although I was pleased to be part of a great day, I wasn't adult enough to realise fully the consequences of what we were doing.

"Since then, I have been 15 years clean and sober. I'm now fully aware of what's going on and have seen the injustices that are happening.

"I'm extremely honoured to be around to play at this concert because it means so much more to me now than it did then."

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, a supporter of the Make Poverty History campaign, said there was "real potential for change" if the world supported Live 8.

"It feels like change could happen in Britain with the G8 here," he told Virgin Radio.

"World leaders only do things that they think will please their voting public. I think Britain is amazing because Britain really cares about this stuff."