TICKETS can be bought on the night for Simple Minds’ open-air concert at Dalby Forest tonight.

So far, around 4,000 have been sold, leaving another 1,000 still available for the Scottish veterans’ debut appearance in the 3,440-acre woodland near Pickering in the tenth year of Forestry Commission summertime concerts.

Tomorrow’s show by fellow Dalby debutants Erasure has sold out already, meaning that more than 9,000 people will descend on Dalby this weekend.

As ever, proceeds will go to the Forestry Commission’s woodland care projects in North Yorkshire and the Tees Valley.

Forest chiefs are urging concert-goers to arrive early on both nights. The forest will be closed to general visitors at 4pm before concert car parks open at 5pm and the arena gates at 6pm.

Tonight’s support act, Starsailor frontman James Walsh, will be on stage at 7.40pm; Simple Minds are up on the catwalk from 9pm to 10.40pm.

Tomorrow, dancefloor diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be in the groove from 7.40pm, promoting her new album, Make A Scene; Erasure set up camp in the forest from 8.50pm to 10.30pm.

Nearly 150 lights and miles of cabling have been installed from mid-week, turning a tree-lined clearing into a rustic rock amphitheatre. Extensive bar and catering facilities will be provided, along with free car parking.

Concert-goers are advised to wear outdoor clothing and take a torch. Please note, no glasses, tables, tents or gazebos are permitted. A one-way traffic system will operate in the forest.

For more visitor information, phone 01751 460295 or visit forestry.gov.uk/music