Charity gig tickets fetch £1,375

By Ian Youngs
BBC News Online entertainment staff

The Pet Shop Boys are playing at the intimate Barfly club

Tickets to tiny concerts by stars like the Pet Shop Boys, The Darkness and The Cure have been auctioned for charity for up to £1,375 each.

A pair of tickets for The Cure topped the sale, fetching £2,750 as part of an event in aid of Shelter and War Child.

Passport Back to the Bars will see big names perform in intimate Barfly venues across the country from 1-10 March.

The online auction also saw a pair of Darkness tickets sell for £1,221 and two Pet Shop Boys tickets fetch £2,200.

The highest prices were raised for shows at the Barfly venue above the Monarch pub in Camden, north London. Gigs are also taking place in Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool and York.

Charity projects

A pair of David Gray tickets were among the others on offer, and raised £750.

Travis, Atomic Kitten, Craig David and Badly Drawn Boy are also taking part. The auctions were the only way fans could buy tickets for the concerts.

Shelter and War Child will each get 50% of the charity funds raised - after VAT and eBay's charges are paid.

Shelter says its funds will go towards projects for homeless families with children in the towns where the gigs are held.

War Child will use the money to provide aid and education to children in Iraq and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As well as bidding in auctions, fans could win tickets by sending a text message costing £1.50 a time.