MUSICIAN Laurence 'Loz' Colbert, of Oxford rock band Ride, will tonight set out to raise money for NHS charities by playing the drums for 12 continuous hours.

The drummer begins his mission at 9pm, playing along to Ride songs and tunes by fellow Oxford artist Gaz Coombes, in whose band Loz has played.

The musician will live-stream his efforts online.

He urged supporters to: “Come along, say hi, donate or just cheer me on!"

Ride – consisting of Loz, Mark Gardener, Andy Bell and Steve Queralt – have their roots at Cheney School, Headington, where Mark met Andy. He met Loz while studying art and design in 1988 and went on to recruit Steve, who was working in the Oxford branch of the former Our Price Records.

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They played their first shows at the college, the Jericho Tavern and Oxford Polytechnic – now Oxford Brookes University.

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Signed by Alan McGee’s Creation Records label, they became one of the most influential bands of the early 90s. Their debut album, Nowhere, charted at 11, and follow-ups Going Blank Again and Carnival of Light both reached number number five.

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In 2014, after 20 years apart, they reformed, going on to release acclaimed album Weather Diaries and playing shows and festivals around the world to huge acclaim.