It will be the ninth year that the Music in the Forest tour has called at the 8,600 acre North York Moors beauty spot. Previous acts have included Pulp, Paul Weller and Status Quo.

Cash from the events is ploughed back into caring for local woodlands.

Organiser Paul Cody said: "Past performers at Dalby read like an who's who of the British rock scene and Simply Red raise the bar once again. It will be a terrific midsummer night's entertainment in the forest."

Capacity for the gig, which takes place in a natural tree-lined auditorium, has been set at 5,000.

The band's frontman Mick Hucknall: "As we had such fun performing a solo forest show at Westonbirt Arboretum this year, we decided it would be great to play all the forest concert venues around the country in 2010. It is a fantastic experience for a band to play in these unique settings."

Tickets at £38 plus booking fee go on sale at 9am on Friday November 6 at www.forestry.gov.uk/music.