PREPARATIONS are under way for the country's largest free festival, to be held in the region this summer.

Tony Christie and The Twang will headline Middlesbrough Music Live on Sunday, June 3.

The one-day festival, in Middlesbrough town centre, is organised and funded by the town's council, and attracts thousands of people from across the country.

This year, there will be more than 100 performers on eight stages throughout the town, with the focal point being the 96.6TFM main stage in front of the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, in the Centre Square.

Judith Croft, of Middlesbrough Council, said: "It is one of the biggest and best town-centre performance locations in Europe.

"The recent decision by the BBC to bring Proms In The Park to the town just goes to show what a wonderful site it is."

Event co-ordinator Ten Feet Tall said crooner Tony Christie would headline the event with a teatime slot on the main stage.

Graham Ramsay, from Ten Feet Tall, said: "We just fancied something a bit different.

"He will have a ten-piece big band with him and he is a total showman, so it should be a great spectacle."

Among the other acts on the main stage will be Terry Hall, of the Specials, alongside The Dub Pistols, who will appear at the V festival, Creamfields and Glastonbury this summer.

Organisers said the festival was about more than the headliner and, in recent years, it has become a place to see future stars, with the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, The Fratellis, Kasabian, Keane, Razorlight, The Ordinary Boys, and Paolo Nutini performing.

Having recently graced the top 20 of the UK singles chart with their debut single and following a string of sell-out dates with James and The Charlatans under their belts, recent NME cover stars The Twang lead the latest crop of new bands at the event.

This year's Middlesbrough Music Live will take place in a new enclosed site, meaning revellers will not be able to take alcohol on the site. On-site bars and catering will be available.

For full line-up details, go to www.middlesbroughmusiclive. co.uk