KEANE are to play a gig in Sherwood Forest next summer as part of a 2010 tour of UK woodland locations.

The indie pop trio have confirmed a date in a 5,000 capacity clearing at Sherwood Pines Forest Park on June 19.

The announcement follows the confirmation of a date by Simply Red for June 18.

They both follow in the footsteps of Paul Weller, Jarvis Cocker and Travis who all played an open-air concert at the 3,000 acre venue.

Keane, originally from Battle, East Sussex, have had three consecutive No. 1 albums: Hopes and Fears, Under The Iron Sea and Perfect Symmetry, winning them Brit, Grammy and Ivor Novello awards.

As the title suggests, their debut album, Hopes And Fears, was full of wide-eyed optimism and the uncertainty that comes with leaving university.

Tim Rice-Oxley's unique piano-playing style caught the ear of music fans, serious and casual alike, and the album went on to become the biggest-selling album by a British band in 2004.

Seemingly without stopping for breath, the band rolled from that success and headlong into the creation of their second offering, Under The Iron Sea, released in the summer of 2006.

The album had darker sound, reflecting the troubles of the band; at the time, lead singer Tom Chaplin was battling with drink and drug addiction.

After a break, the band returned with Perfect Symmetry, recorded in Paris, Berlin, London and Los Angeles.

The album, voted by Q Magazine readers as the best album of 2008, saw a departure from the band's established piano-pop sound. Keane used guitars for the first time since their early days and experimented with other instruments such as the musical saw and saxophone.

Cash raised by the Sherwood Forest gig will be used to care for woodlands across the East Midlands, South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Organiser Chris Bray said: "It's another fantastic name to add to the Sherwood playlist and a tribute to the pulling power of the forest."

KEANE

WHERE: Sherwood Forest.

WHEN: Saturday, June 19, 2010.

TICKETS: £32 (plus booking fee).

BOX OFFICE: 01842 814612 or online at www.forestry.gov.uk/music.