Who, Jeff Beck, Debbie Harry unite for UK cancer gig

Rock legends The Who are to perform alongside Jeff Beck, Blondie singer Debbie Harry and The Verve's Richard Ashcroft in a charity concert against cancer.

The stars will appear at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London, on January 13, 2011 to raise money for KILLING Cancer, a charity that funds research into little-known cancer treatment Photodynamic Therapy (PDT).

PDT, which involves making cells more sensitive to light before exposing them to laser light, could help to treat cancers and precancerous conditions near the surface of the skin or internal organ linings.

The event has special significance for The Who, whose manager Bill Curbishley said he had witnessed a number of friends going through the last days of cancer.

"Only later we discovered that PDT could perhaps have saved their lives - and certainly given them some dignity in their final weeks," he said in a statement.

The Who have performed to raise awareness of cancer before. In March the band joined up with Arctic Monkeys, JLS and Noel Gallagher to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London.