The Forestry Commission has announced that Paul Weller and Bryan Ferry will play two massive outdoor gigs in Dalby Forest, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, this summer.

Weller made his name as the Jam’s frontman in the late 1970s and is now hailed as one of the best songwriters of his generation. He’ll be playing to thousands of revellers in the heart of Yorkshire’s biggest forest on Saturday 19 June. The following night (20 June), Bryan Ferry will take to the stage, backed by a spectacular twelve piece band.

Organiser Paul Cody, from the Forestry Commission, said:

"Last year’s concerts with Jools Holland and Status Quo were our most successful ever and we are absolutely delighted to have secured two more fantastic artists this summer. The reputation of the forest as a magical venue has spread far and wide and their were no shortage of top class acts wanting to appear. We anticipate a big demand for tickets given the international stature of this year’s musicians."

Money raised by the concerts will be ploughed back into caring for the region’s woods. The venue will be the Adderstone Field, a tree-lined clearing in the forest, with a capacity of 4,500 for each gig.

Tickets cost £24 for Bryan Ferry and £26 Paul Weller and are now on sale.
 
They can be booked through the Forestry Commission Telephone Credit Card Hotline on 01842 814612 between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and Saturday 9am - 12pm. Alternatively book online at www.wayahead.com (all tickets purchased are subject to a booking fee).

NOTE TO EDITOR

Paul Weller
Born in 1958 and raised in Woking, Surrey, Paul Weller formed The Jam when he was just 14 years old. Tracks such as My Generation by The Who and watching The Sex Pistols live influenced the distinctive sound of what soon became Britain's biggest band. Hits included That's Entertainment, Going Underground, A Town Called Malice and Beat Surrender. At the peak of the group’s popularity, Weller moved on to form The Style Council in 1982, which left behind the angst and tapped into jazz, pop, funk, rhythm and blues and soul. Five albums and seven years later the band split, leaving Weller to re-invent himself once again. He returned to his roots with a raw guitar sound and began work on a solo album. That outsold all previous Jam and Style Council work in America. His second album, Wild Wood, released in 1994, earned critical acclaim. He was hailed as the finest British songwriter of the last three decades. That was followed by Stanley Road, which topped the UK album charts. Since then Weller has continued to record and tour the globe - his reputation as one of the world’s great musicians secure.

Bryan Ferry
Refreshed by a triumphant Roxy Music reunion tour, Ferry’s sounding punchier than ever, with his 2002 album "Frantic" notching another milestone for a performer dubbed "the godfather of style" and "the coolest living Englishman". Bryan Ferry was born 26 September 1945, Washington, Co. Durham, the son of farmer. He rose to fame in the early Seventies as singer and songwriter with Roxy Music, whose first album debuted in 1972. Ferry’s solo career also flourished, remodelling classic songs, while still exploring fresh territory with his own writing. In 1980 he returned with Roxy with a poignant version of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy, which reached number one. Amongst his musical achievements he has recorded songs for Hollywood movies and took Roxy on a reunion tour in 2001, the first in 18 years. It proved a massive success with 51 dates in UK Europe Australia & Japan finishing in Hammersmith Odeon 2001. Bryan followed another tour in 2002 with an appearance at the Vatican performing 'A Fool For Love' with Chris Spedding, Paul Thompson and an orchestra. Last year he undertook a 20 date tour of UK in March 2003 and another album is reportedly due soon.

For more information about the Forestry Commission go www.forestry.gov.uk

Richard Darn Tel: 0113 2836598, Mobile – 0775 367 0038.