The Specials will reunite for an eight-stop tour of the UK in Spring 2009.

Founder member Jerry Dammers is not set to join the ska legends for the dates, although frontman Terry Hall has told NME that "the door remains open to him".

Hall said: "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."

Also confirmed for the shows from the band's original line-up are Neville Staple, Sir Horace Gentleman, Roddy Radiation, Lynval Golding and John Bradbury.

The gigs will mark the first time the Coventry troupe has officially worked together since 1981, although members of the band did play a secret show at this year's Bestival under the name Terry Hall And Friends.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on December 11th from 9am. Dates are as follows:

April

22 Newcastle Academy
23 Sheffield Academy
25 Birmingham Academy
26 Birmingham Academy
28Glasgow Academy

May

3 Manchester Apollo
6 London Brixton Academy
7 London Brixton Academy