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.