"Be careful what you wish for!" Rat Scabies returns to The Damned, as the punk legends announce UK tour with their early '80s line-up

The Damned's co-founding drummer Rat Scabies has returned to the fold, reuniting the line-up of the band which recorded The Black Album (1980) and Strawberries (1982). Speaking of his return to the band, Scabies says simply, "Be careful what you wish for."

The Dave Vanian, Captain Sensible, Paul Gray, Rat Scabies version of the band last played together in 1989, but will return next year to play UK dates. The tour will open in Newcastle on December 4, and carry on through to December 18, closing out at the Roundhouse in London.

Tickets go on general sale here at 10am on Friday, November 24, and there is also an AEG Presale available on November 23, which interested parties can sign up for here.

The quartet will revisit songs from their third, fourth and fifth albums, Machine Gun Etiquette, The Black Album and Strawberries, as well as Damned classics such as  as Neat Neat Neat, New Rose, etc,.

The Damned will play:

Dec 04: Newcastle NX
Dec 05: Glasgow Barrowlands
Dec 06: Manchester Academy
Dec 08: Leeds O2 Academy
Dec 09: Nottingham Rock City
Dec 10: Wolverhampton Civic at The Halls
Dec 12: Bristol Beacon
Dec 13: Southampton O2 Guildhall
Dec 14: Eastbourne Winter Garden
Dec 16: Cambridge Corn Exchange
Dec 18: London Roundhouse

The Damned released their twelfth studio album Darkadelic earlier this year.