NORTH-East pop hopeful Aaron Bayley is looking forward to playing his second outdoor concert in the region tomorrow night.

The Geordie singer, who found fame as the cheeky train driver searching for stardom on ITV's Pop Idol, will be among a host of acts performing at this weekend's Orange Darlington Festival.

Having already performed at the Fishquay Festival, his short set in Darlington Market Square will be the first time he has played in the town, but he still considers it a sort of homecoming.

Although he is unlikely to decide exactly which songs to sing until a few hours before taking the stage in the Market Square, he is fairly sure of one track, which is his new single, Walking in Memphis.

He said: "I haven't had a gig in a couple of weeks so I'm looking forward to it.

"I've never played there yet, but it's in my native North-East so I'm looking forward to it.

"I only hope the weather is good because it doesn't look very promising at the moment."

The festival runs until Monday and is presented by Darlington Borough Council, sponsored by Orange and supported by The Northern Echo and Century FM.