Madchester band Stone Roses set for comeback

The Manchester band, who fell apart in 1996 after legal wrangles and internal rows, are expected to announce a comeback tour at a press conference on Tuesday.

Part of the Madchester movement, their self-titled first album, released in 1989, is widely seen as one of the greatest debuts of all time.

Invitations have been sent out to journalists for “a special press conference for a very important announcement” at a Soho hotel in London.

Guitarist John Squire quit in 1995, and although the band limped on with a replacement, the group split after a disastrous performance at Reading Festival in 1996.

Singer Ian Brown enjoyed some success as a solo star, bass player Mani joined Primal Scream and Squire charted with his band, The Seahorses, before pursuing an art career.

Reni, the band’s drummer, has slipped out of the limelight since the band ended.

Squire, whose distinctive artwork graced many of their record covers, has regularly refuted suggestions they might reform.

He once created a metallic artwork decorated with the phrase “I have no desire whatsoever to desecrate the grave of seminal Manchester pop group The Stone Roses”, and displayed it on his website.

The feud between childhood friends Brown and Squire has long been seen as a potential stumbling block to any lucrative reunion.