Following on from a few festival appearances during the summer, Ian recently announced an intimate stripped-down acoustic tour with a remit to perform re-released solo material, some of which might not have been played live before or recently, plus a few Bunnymen classics. So far the September shows include Manchester on the 20th then Leeds, Newcastle and York, before heading over to Preston on 6th October. More shows have now been added to the schedule, including Wrexham (7th Oct), then Stoke, Brighton, Nottingham and Sheffield during November, suggesting that even more UK dates could be confirmed in the near future.

We have tickets for all shows, priced from £16.50, except Brighton which will go on sale from Thursday 6th September 2012.

Perhaps too edgy for some Cure fans and too poppy for serial Joy Division and New Order followers, Ian McCulloch and his band Echo and the Bunnymen were serious pin-ups, with frontman 'Mac' proving to be something of an icon throughout the '80s, not only for looking 'cool' but also for fronting one of the best bands to come out of the UK since The Beatles. Don't agree? Ask him - he'd probably tell you exactly the same. Or that they were better than The Beatles.

Either way, you can't argue about their catalogue. From earlier quirky classics like 'Rescue', 'Crocodiles' and 'A Promise', through the pay-dirt years of 'The Cutter', 'The Killing Moon' and 'Ocean Blue' and up to the point where McCulloch reformed his charges for the highly-rated comeback years from 'Evergreen' onwards, there's no denying that you'd be hard-pressed to find a band with a consistent set-list always waiting in the wings.

McCulloch's own solo recordings weren't too shabby either - early on, the sterling 'Candleland' and the misunderstood 'Mysterio' each had their memorable moments, with the former perhaps the better of the two, featuring one Elizabeth Fraser on guest vocals on the title-track, plus crack singles such as 'Faith and Healing' and 'Proud To Fall', while the latter offered a pin-sharp rework of Leonard Cohen's 'Lover Lover Lover'. McCulloch went on to make 2003's 'Slideling' and has just issued 'Pro Patria Mori', his fourth solo venture. Both 'Candleland' and 'Mysterio' are due for a reissue during the autumn.