Children in Need set to take Manchester by storm!

Ever since I was a kid, Children In Need has always been one of those big TV events of the year that I really, really looked forward to.

That steady reliability as the autumn months rolled round, the accompanying charity single release, and of course the massive telethon on the night itself too.

There's something magic about it and the way it captures the public goodwill is truly heartwarming.

This year's show has something extra thrown into the mix - a big one-off pop gig! Taking place at Manchester's MEN Arena on the 17th November, the whole thing will be shown on BBC1 at 8pm.

The line-up is as follows:

Michael Buble 

Coldplay

Elbow

JLS

Lady Gaga

Hugh Laurie

James Morrison

N Dubz

Snow Patrol

Ed Sheeran

Tickets go on sale at 9am this Friday (16th September)

Gary Barlow, who's helping to put together this year's Children in Need charity single, had this to say: “I’m so thrilled that these incredible artists are giving their time for such a special charity that is very close to my heart. I can’t wait to see it all come together on November 17th, there are still some great acts we're keeping up our sleeve to announce in the coming weeks and who knows, I might even sing a little something on the night too.”

Battlefield Band - Line Up

Unmistakeable, soothing, elegant - So much can be said of Battlefield Band's brand of Scottish folk, but in truth, the overiding fact is their obvious talent. It's there in the sense of scale Line Up embodies as an album, floating from track to track like a spirit, leaving the stamp of quality in its wake.

From pacey album opener Raigmore, the tone is set - pipe and fiddle melodies stand at the forefront of the majority of the tracks but its the underpinning of bass and rhythmic acoustic guitar that really elevates the tracks to their best.

Full of tradition and legacy, the four-piece group make clear through the course of the album's duration that this is music both from the soul, and Scotland itself; the songs seeming to spring up from the very ground.

On the band's cover of Otis Redding's soul classic That's How Strong My Love Is we hear singer Sean O'Donnell vocals; crisp, clear and tender. It's a tasteful rendition and one that fits effortlessly in with the rest of the record.

Breezy whistle melodies add a distinct cheeriness to the likes of Easy Peasy, while on the other end of the scale piano ballad Song Composed In August wraps itself up in a lush blanket of beauty.

The scope of Line Up feels impressive, the multitude of instruments capturing so many different facets and layers of emotion, all interwoven in a way folk music seems so apt at doing.

Every track, every strand of thread that makes up this collection; each tells a different story, another line in the story of Battlefield Band's carefully wrought perspective of the world.

Line Up is out now and can be downloaded here.