TAVISTOCK Rugby Club will be the­ setting for a night of live music this Saturday, as a large group of young and talented musicians get together to perform in a big showcase event.

Band8 will see almost 30 enthusiastic youngsters, comprising five bands in all, perform live rock during a celebration of music.

The young people are aged between ten and 16 and attend seven local schools. Their bands play a mixture of original material and cover versions — what they all share is a love of rock music and a talent for performing.

Christina Larcombe-Moore, spokesperson for Band8, said: 'All the musicians co-operate and work together, some of them putting in guest appearances with other bands.

'This is not a battle of the bands — it's a festival of music. The evening ends with them all playing together in a huge finale.'

Christina said the event was started four years ago by local music teacher Roger King.

She said: 'He's taught all these young people, who play all different instruments. It's a way of giving them the chance to really show what they can do.

'It's a great evening and there's a fantastic atmosphere. They all work together, it's not a competition, and they are very much their own musical directors — it's brilliant.'

The groups playing at Band8 include Stare, a three-piece of 12 year olds — Charlie Scoble, Beccy Sadler and Oli Minoz — who will perform three songs, including the James Morrison/Nelly Furtado hit, Broken Strings.

Holly and Marina is a vocal duo featuring Holly Wixen and Marina Carrick, both 12, who will sing four numbers.

Mystery will perform some pure rock, including the Free classic, All Right Now. They comprise Chris Hodges, Harry Dunlop and Ben Hancox, all eleven, and ten-year-old Will Bennett.

The Lontanos will be performing four of their own pieces as well as numbers by the Kooks and Muse. The trio is made up of Cameron Nicol and Sam Brocking, both 17, and Jack Hughes, 15.

The Delectable Celia is the last band to play. Featuring Oli Larcombe-Moore and Mat Lawrie, both 16, and Chris Cowie, 15, they will also play their own material plus four covers.

Also performing on the night are a number of individual session musicians, playing instruments as diverse as the cello and mandolin to flutes and keyboards.

The finale will see all the musicians coming together for a performance of Stairway to Heaven.

Band8 starts at 7.30pm, tickets are £5 on the door. All proceeds from the event will go to Children in Crisis — a charity founded in 1993 to give children in some of the world's poorest countries the education they need to help them transform their lives.