PLAN B has become the hippest ever recruit to the Forestry Commission’s Live Music programme of open-air concerts.

Tickets go on sale at 9am today for the Londoner’s seven sylvan shows, including Dalby Forest, near Pickering, on June 30.

“It’s going to be a real adventure taking the Plan B show into the woods,” says Plan B, alias singer, songwriter, rapper, actor and film director Ben Drew, right. “I’m really up for this and hope to see you there.”

Plan B follows in the woodland footsteps of Simple Minds, Erasure, Keane, Simply Red, Paul Weller, The Beautiful South, Status Quo, James Morrison, M People, Embrace, Pulp, Travis and Jools Holland.

Plan B released his debut hip-hop album, Who Needs Actions When You Got Words, in 2006 and went stellar with the 2010 follow-up, The Defamation Of Strickland Banks, his soul-infused account of the journey of a man who finds success hard to handle and then hits rock bottom. The album was the fifth biggest seller of the year in Britian, spawning the hit singles Stay Too Long, Prayin’, The Recluse and She Said, as he went on to win the Brit Award for Best British Male and a trio of Ivor Novellos for Songwriter of the Year, Album of the Year and Most Performed Work (She Said).

Tickets for Plan B cost £32 plus booking fee on 03000 680400 or online at forestry.gov.uk/music