THIS year’s Concert At the Kings will be truly cool for cats with the announcement that iconic New Wave hit band The Squeeze and 1960s rockers The Animals will be among the headline acts.

The fourth staging of the charity event next to The Kings Arms pub in All Cannings, which has brought big name stars such as Bob Geldof, Simon May and Paul Jones to a field in a Wiltshire village, will be on May 30.

Animals and Friends will include John Steel, Mick Gallagher and Danny Handley from the original line-up who in 1964 took the country by storm with songs such as House of the Rising Sun, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place and Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.

Also taking the main stage will be Squeeze, fronted by Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook, along with Squeeze veteran John Bentley.

In 1973 teenagers Difford and Tilbrook formed the band in South London and were hailed as the new Lennon and McCartney. Their hits included Up The Junction and Cool for Cats.

The fundraising concert has also been backed by Madness, after Concert At The Kings production man Tim Bricusse met them on tour in France and took a picture of them with a concert T-shirt.

Over the past four years the concert has raised more than £70,000 for charity and this year organisers have decided proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Support, Above and Beyond, Oncology Bristol and a large donation will be made to causes in and around All Cannings.

The Rock Against Cancer event was the idea of sound man John ‘Grubby’ Callis, Andy Scott of the The Sweet and Richard Baulu, landord of the Kings Arms, after Callis and Scott were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Mr Baulu said: “For those who were lucky enough to go to one, or really fortunate and got to go to all the previous concerts, they will know what an exceptional event Concert at the Kings is.

“We have been privileged to have had some of the finest musicians join us, many of whom have truly shaped the course of music over the years.”

Tickets are on sale at the website concertatthekings.co.uk at £51.50 for adults, £20.75 for children or £257 for VIP tickets.