THETFORD Forest is once again set to come alive with music following confirmation of the first gig set to take place there this summer.The Beautiful South will be kicking off their forthcoming UK tour of forests around the country at the Suffolk forest's High Lodge Centre on June 10.

THETFORD Forest is once again set to come alive with music following confirmation of the first gig set to take place there this summer.

The Beautiful South will be kicking off their forthcoming UK tour of forests around the country at the Suffolk forest's High Lodge Centre on June 10. Tickets for the date go on sale on Saturday.

The announcement comes hot on the heels of the band's most recent album success and ahead of the their latest single release.

The single, This Will Be Our Year, out in early February, is a cover of The Zombies' track and is taken from the now gold certified album Golddiggas, Headnodders and Pholk Songs.

The album sees the band tackling 12 of their favourite songs in their own inimitable style. Heavy metal standards such as The Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear The Reaper, Lush's Britpop offering Ciao and chart-topping pop smash Don't Stop Moving, originally by S Club 7 all feature.

It is now 15 years since Hull-based band The Housemartins split and vocalists Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway re-emerged as The Beautiful South. Dave Rotheray, Sean Welch and Dave Stead completed the band's creative core.

Since then, and changes in female vocalists along the way, The Beautiful South have emerged as a band synonymous with intelligent, sarky, northern pop, while Heaton and Rotheray have become one of music's most successful pop songwriting duos.

n The Beautiful South will be at High Lodge, in Thetford Forest, on June 10. Tickets for the concert cost £24 (plus booking fee) and go on sale at 9am on Saturday. They will be available by calling 01842 814612 or online at www.gigsandtours.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.foresttour.co.uk

Weblink: www.beautifulsouth.co.uk