Band Aid III to record Xmas single

Coldplay, The Darkness and Travis are now coming together to re-record Band Aid's hit single 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' to raise funds for famine victims in Africa.

According to "The Sun" newspaper, frontmen Chris Martin, Justin Hawkins and Fran Healy have reportedly told Sir Bob Geldof and Midge Ure that they would drop everything to make the charity track.

"It's definitely going to happen. I'm very excited.This project is not just about raising money. It's about putting the focus back on Africa and the problem of famine which has not gone away," Midge was quoted, as saying.

"The lineup proves that [the UK] is brimming with talent and the big names approached seem very keen.Chris Martin actually contacted me. He reminds me of a young Bono. The great thing is we have real musicians in proper bands. Things are really snowballing. What's frightening though is most of them were in nappies first time around" he added.

The track is expected to be recorded in the next few weeks for a pre-Christmas release.

The original single, which featured musicians including Bono, Boy George, Phil Collins and Sting, sold three million copies and raised 9.4 million US dollars for Ethiopia. It was followed by the 1985 Live Aid concert, which raised more than 47 million dollars. The U.S. single, We Are the World, featured a lineup of 43 artists including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross.