The reunion of 2 Tone-era ska giants The Specials rolls into 2013 as the band this week announced a 10-date spring tour of the U.K. and even hinted it would fulfill its promise to return to America, tweeting this morning that “The Specials are discussing a possible two part TOUR OF THE USA in March and late August 2013.”
The just-announced U.K. tour opens May 10 in Glasgow and wraps up May 28 in London (see full dates below), hitting cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle in between. The shows are the first announced since The Specials played a giant outdoor concert with Blur and New Order last summer marking the closing of the London Olympics.
As for American dates, the band has been promising a U.S. tour since 2010, but, so far, only has played a handful of North American dates around its appearance at Coachella that year. A large outdoor show in New York City later that summer was scrubbed over immigration issues, and the group never made good on a promise to return to the U.S. in early 2011.
As for today’s tweet hinting at U.S. tour, the band says, “keeping checking for info!”
The Specials tour dates:
May 10: Barrowland, Glasgow, UK
May 13: O2 Academy, Newcastle, UK
May 15: O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK
May 18: Olympia, Liverpool, UK
May 19: De Montfort Hall, Leicester, UK
May 21: O2 Academy, Birmingham, UK
May 23: Centre, Newport, UK
May 25: Winter Gardens, Margate, UK
May 26: Guildhall, Portsmouth, UK
May 28: O2 Academy Brixton, London, UK
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS:
- Blur, The Specials and New Order to play Olympics Closing Ceremony Celebration
- The Specials announce 23-date tour of Europe, U.K. for next fall
- Terry Hall: The Specials to tour in 2011, play debut, ‘More Specials’ live
- The Specials cancel New York SummerStage concert, plan U.S. tour in 2011
- The Specials add Los Angeles, Toronto dates to short April tour of North America
