Edinburgh Festival: The five best gigs

The Raconteurs

A highlight of this year's T in the Park and a late addition to the Edge's bill. Jack White, Brendan Benson et al will close the festival in hopefully rowdy style.

Corn Exchange, Tuesday 26 August

Laura Marling

Booked to play Edinburgh before the Mercury-nomination for her debut album 'Alas I Cannot Swim', Marling is doing two nights in an intimate bar setting under the Old Town.

Bannerman's, Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 August

Broken Records

Recently featured in the 'NME' and gaining national attention along with the regular Arcade Fire comparisons, Broken Records are touted (although groups like Come On Gang!, X-Vectors and Swimmer One may argue) as Edinburgh's best new band.

Liquid Room, Sunday 17 August

Black Affair

Aka Steve Mason, one-time vocalist with the Beta Band and King Biscuit Time and a native of Fife, just across the Firth of Forth. His new project is a dazzlingly eccentric collision of electro-funk and white boy hip-hop.

Cabaret Voltaire, Sunday 10 August

N*E*R*D

Part of a brief UK tour in support of the new album 'Seeing Sounds', this will be Pharrell Williams (right) and co's first visit to Edinburgh since a memorable gig with Justin Timberlake, the Black Eyed Peas and Sean Paul after the 2003 MTV Europe Music Awards.

Corn Exchange, Friday 22 August