One of the UK’s biggest indie bands of a generation are eyeing up a return to the Isle of Man later his year.

The Lightning Seeds are heading back over the water for a concert at the Villa Marina on Sunday, July 31.

The band are making up for being forced to cancel their planned concert in May, 2020, due to the Covid pandemic.

Originally the group, led by singer, guitarist and main songwriter Ian Broudie, were intending to tour throughout 2020 to mark the 25th anniversary re-release of their hit album ’Jollification’.

Released in 1995, ’Jollification’ reached the higher reaches of the charts and featured the hit singles ’Changes’, ’Lucky You’, ’Marvellous’ and ’Perfect’, all of which also scored chart successes.

Originally formed almost by accident in the late 1980s, Ian Broudie played alongside many of the great bands of the Liverpool new wave scene of the 1980s, including Echo and the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes and the Icicle Works.

Recordings of self -penned tracks included the song ’Pure’, and led to the recording of the album ’CloudCuckooland’.

A second album, ’Sense’, featured the hit ’Life of Riley’, written about his baby son.

They shot to fame after their song, ’Three Lions’, written alongside comedian Frank Skinner and David Baddiel, provided the sound track to a legendary summer of sport in 1996.

The Lightning Seeds were last on the island during TT week in 2017, where they played in front of more than 1,000 people at the Bushy’s beer tent, at the former bottleneck car park site.

They are being brought to the island by Triskel Promoters, who said they were keen to bring the band back. ’Triskel Promotions are excited to bring the Seeds back to a bigger stage,’ said Lenny Conroy, owner of Triskel Promotions .

We had such a good time with the band at Bushys, and it is hard to believe it is now five years ago since that gig took place.

Support will come from local indie rockers Voodoo Bandits.

Tickets are £35 including booking fee, available from the Welcome Centre and Villa gaiety Box Office, on 600555, and online from villagaiety.com.

More information is available from triskelpromo.com