at last!!!

[www.nme.com]


Coventry band set to hit the road next April

The Specials are reuniting for a 2009 tour to celebrate their 30th anniversary.

The legendary ska band have announced they are getting back together to play a series of UK gigs next April.

In an exclusive interview in this week's issue of NME, which hits newsstands tomorrow (December 3), frontman Terry Hall said that the band were playing in 2009 to celebrate their significant birthday.

"It's the right time to do it [reunite] - we talked about it at 25 but we weren't together enough. Now we're all getting on and it feels comfortable again," he said.

Original members of the band including Hall, Neville Staple, Sir Horace Gentleman, Roddy Radiation, Lynval Golding and John Bradbury are all confirmed to play the gigs.

Hall revealed that Specials founder member Jerry Dammers is not set to join the band on the tour, although relations between the two parties are strong. "The door remains open to him," Hall said.

The gigs will mark the first time the Coventry band have officially worked together since 1981. As NME.COM previously reported, members of The Specials did play a secret show at this year's Bestival under the title Terry Hall And Friends.

Tickets for the tour go on sale at 9am (GMT) on December 11.

The Specials will play the following dates:

Newcastle Academy (April 22)
Sheffield Academy (23)
Birmingham Academy (25, 26)
Glasgow Academy (28)
Manchester Apollo (May 3)
London Brixton Academy (6, 7)

[news.bbc.co.uk]

Hi Adrian,

I'll try to catch at least one of their shows-they made some fine music.

Cheers,

Si.

Loved them then and still love them today. See you there.

the only downer on this exciting reunion, is that Jerry is still holding out.
Hopefully he can be persuaded otherwise, between now and April.

It's good to hear the Specials are re-uniting these days.

another band I heard of re-uniting is "The Godfathers" - I like it.
read about it on their MySpace page.

Thanks Adrian. Have been waiting for this news for a long time now.

I know my sister will be thrilled with this news, i will see them in brum for definate.

Great band in their day.

However, I doubt I'm the only one who, because of that episode of 'Father Ted', associates "Ghost Town" with the Irish national anthem.

Great news. Their legacy is untarnished because they split at their peak.

i thought dammers was the specials! has he ever toured with them since they broke up?

I love the Specials,great news..

"No dope smoking no beer sold after 12 o'clock"

Quote
stoned in washington dc
i thought dammers was the specials! has he ever toured with them since they broke up?

Not exactly. The Specials splintered in two after Ghost Town. Terry formed Fun Boy Three with Neville Staples, and Jerry Dammers carried on as The Special AKA. Fun By Three had a very successful career before breaking up, while Special AKA's biggest and, I think, only big hit was Free Nelson Mandela. I do Dammers rejoins.

What ever happend to the band madness are they still going?

Feel The Fear
And Do It Anyway

Didn't Peter Rudge manage them for a while?

BTW, I was in England summer of 1981, and that Ghost Town recored was a monster.
Great, great, record and single.

Quote
mandu
What ever happend to the band madness are they still going?

yep - they certainly are.

Quote
tomk
BTW, I was in England summer of 1981, and that Ghost Town recored was a monster.
Great, great, record and single.

I guess you remember the riots then?

Quote
Adrian-L

Quote
mandu
What ever happend to the band madness are they still going?

yep - they certainly are.

Been to see madness the last two xmas concerts. Dont seem to be any concerts this year.

Quote
odean73
Been to see madness the last two xmas concerts. Dont seem to be any concerts this year.

[www.ticketmaster.co.uk]

Quote
Adrian-L

Quote
odean73
Been to see madness the last two xmas concerts. Dont seem to be any concerts this year.

[www.ticketmaster.co.uk]

Apologies meant for the midlands/birmingham area.

I must admit i would probably struggle to go, first time at the nec was great, second time at nia was a so & so performance.

Probably still end up going thou.

There are rumours about a special <pardon the pun> concert to be held in coventry.

Will keep you informed.

nice one - they'd sell out the Richoh stadium in record time

Just bagged my tickets for brum concert. Looks like theyare on sale earlier than expected.

Just click in the specials on google and go to thier main website.

huge thankyou's for that info, odeon.

just bagged me a ticket for 7th May, at Brixton.
It's going to be mental.

THANKS!!! I am a BIG Specials fan and have been waiting for this reunion for years!! Did not see it on their site. So thanks IORR!! Also got tickets for the 7th Brixton. Coming all the way from Denmark!!

see you there!

Glad to be of assistance.

So looking forward to it. Good start of the year for me to see david byrne and now the specials and nearly forgot oasis.

unsuprisingly, the tour sold out, in a matter of minutes, this morning.

I am hearing that the specials might be doing the coventry 'godiva' festival next year, which is a free festival. Dont quote me thou!!!

I think they could be adding more dates as well.

All they've got to do, now, is sort out the petty squabbles,
with Jerry Dammers.

[www.nme.com]