LEGENDARY Manchester band Happy Mondays have announced a marathon 29 date Greatest Hits Tour for October, November and December 2019.

The Happy Mondays’ classic line-up of front man Shaun Ryder, Bez, Rowetta, Gary Whelan, Paul Ryder, Mark Day and and Dan Broad will perform timeless hits such as Step On, Kinky Afro, Hallelujah, W.F.L., Loose Fit, Judge Fudge and 24 Hour Party People, amongst many others.

The tour begins on October 23 and ends on December 21, stopping off along the way at numerous North West venues.

Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder said: “Be great to be back out on the road with Happy Mondays for some pre-Christmas partying. Looking forward to playing all the hits and more at these shows.”

Bez said: “Really excited and looking forward to the Happy Mondays tour - can't wait to do some freaky dancing.”

Rowetta said: “I’m really looking forward to this tour, almost 30 years since I first got on stage with the Mondays. The band and the fans are like family to me and I still love singing these songs as much as I did in 1990.”

After signing to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records, the late ‘80s saw the Happy Mondays become the pioneers of the Madchester sound, as they blended their love of funk, rock, psychedelia and house with the sounds of the UK’s emerging rave scene.

The band’s third album, 1990’s platinum-selling ‘Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches’, led to the Happy Mondays crossing over into the mainstream to become icons of Britain’s biggest cultural phenomenon for a generation.

In 2016, the Happy Mondays won the Ivor Novello’s Inspiration Award, further cementing their reputation as one of Britain’s most influential and loved bands.

The band will be performing at The Guid Hall in Preston on Thursday November 14; Manchester Academy on Thursday November 21; Mountford Hall, Liverpool on Friday December 6; Newcastle's O2 Academy on Friday November 15 and O2 Academy Leeds on Saturday December 7. Tickets go on general sale at 10 on Friday from www.alttickets.com/happy-mondays-tickets.