MUSIC fans descended in their thousands this weekend for concerts held in York and North Yorkshire.

About 9,000 fans flocked to an outdoor concert at Dalby Forest, near Pickering to see Erasure and Simple Minds take to the stage.

Simple Minds played on Friday with support from James Walsh and on Saturday crowds gathered for the live return of glam electropop duo Erasure.

Erasure, supported by Sophie Ellis Bextor, played at the venue as part of their Total Pop! Tour of forest shows.

The 3,440-hectare venue near Pickering is celebrating ten years of hosting large outdoor gigs. Woodland chiefs say nearly 100,000 music fans are set to have watched gigs in beauty spot since the concerts started in 2001 with Jools Holland and The Levellers.

Meanwhile music legend Morrissey was one of the first artists to play at the newly-reopened Barbican on Saturday night.

The ex-Smiths frontman was the biggest booking so far for the Paragon Street venue, which re-opened last month having lain empty for six years.

Tickets for Morrissey’s visit at the venue, which has 1,500 seated and 1,900 standing capacities, sold within minutes of going on sale. He was supported by Nashville band Mona.