The original melon-twisting Madchester bad boys the Happy Mondays are heading to Preston!

Shaun Ryder, Bez and the crew will be playing at 53 Degrees in Brook Street on May 31 with fans expected to snap up tickets in record time.

Preston will be the eighth date on a tour which kicks off with the huge Coachella festival in California and ends with a homecoming at Manchester's Ritz nightclub.

The tour comes as the group - discovered by Manchester music mogul Tony Wilson and his Factory Records label - ready themselves to release a new album through Sanctuary Records.

Best known for their fast living and their pioneering indie-dance crossover sound, the Mondays are seen by many as one of the most pivitol bands of the last 20 years.

The Happy Mondays play 53 Degrees in Preston on May 31. Tickets go on sale on Friday, at £22.50 (over 18 only, maximum four per person), from 53 Degrees and Action Records.