When bands lose an iconic frontman, it is very rare that the group can ever really recover. That they do, to any degree, is a testament to the quality of the music. Some bands, like Thin Lizzy and Queen, have had to cope with the loss of incredibly enigmatic and charismatic rock frontmen.

Despite the tragic demise of Freddie Mercury - as reliable and wonderful leader, vocalist and rock showman as it is possible to imagine - Queen, with heavy hearts no doubt, went on, in one guise or another. They were able to do so because of their music and the feelings it still stirs in a dedicated fan base.

Phil Lynott may not have enjoyed quite the same profile as Freddie, but to Thin Lizzy fans, the memory and music of the legendary Irish frontman remains very, very dear. When Lynott's excesses finally caught up with him in 1985, he was just 36 years old but he'd already been the driving force behind a dozen studio albums and musical highlights that include 'Whiskey in the Jar' and 'The Boys Are Back in Town', both still a staple of rock radio rotations and request shows everywhere.

After an initial reformation in 1996, which the remaining band members themselves considered something of a tribute, Thin Lizzy performed on-and-off, with a changing line-up until 2010. In May last year, mainstay Scott Gorham was joined by original drummer Brian Downey, long-standing keyboardist Darren Wharton, and singer Ricky Warwick from The Almighty, while Marco Mendoza returned to the line-up to play the bass guitar role. They were eventually joined by Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus, who replaced Vivian Campbell, himself returning to his day job with Def Leppard.

Via various incarnations, Thin Lizzy have emerged as a kind of super-group tribute band to themselves, and they have just announced a 2012 tour.

'The Lizzy' play Glasgow Barrowland on 19th January, taking in Leicester, York, Cardiff, Brighton and more, before the final gig of the tour at the Hammersmith Apollo on 4th February 2012. Support for the entire tour comes from Clutch.

With the exception of Glasgow, which is on sale now priced at £25, we will have tickets for all dates available from Monday 25th July at 9AM (on-sale date changed from Friday 22nd), priced £27.50 for all except London, which will cost £29.50.