The name Brian May will be well known to any rock music fan but, of late, the environmentalist has been battling against badger culls and paying homage to the late astronomer Patrick Moore.

May's PhD in astrophysics was postponed when the little-known band he was in - Queen - suddenly started to take over his young life and sell out stadiums and sell millions of records. Some 30 years later, after spending time being surrounded by stars from a parallel universe (of sorts) and having an asteroid named after him (by Moore) May completed his PhD and settled back into music, as well as appearing on the BBC's recent series, Stargazing Live.

For 2013, May's relationship with his music continues and while he might not be currently 'rocking the planet', he is at least admirably interested in preserving it. His next venture will be the return of he and singer Kerry Ellis for another batch of Born Free tour dates in the spring. 'Born Free' (www.bornfree.org.uk) is an organization committed to keeping wild animals in the wild and is supported by several celebrities as well as Brian May - Joanna Lumley, Graham Norton and Brian Blessed are just a few involved.

The dates begin in Bournemouth on 18th June, followed by Basingstoke, Northampton, Salford and many more until Worcester on the 28th. Tickets on sale now for the majority of dates, priced from £32.50 depending on location.