SHAUN Ryder is on fine form as he discusses the Happy Mondays taking to the road once again, this time of mark the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut album

“Even though it’s the 30th anniversary of the first album, we are doing bits off all the albums including the one I didn’t like, the last one,” he said. “They managed to twist my arm to do a few off that.”

The improbably-named Squirrel and G-Man Twenty-Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile launched the Happy Mondays onto an unsuspecting record buying public in 1987 and was a cornerstone of the developing Madchester scene.

With Ryder at the helm, ably assisted by right hand man and maraca-shaker extraordinaire Bez, the Mondays were a whirlwind of excess and subsequent albums Bummed and Thrills, Pills and Bellyaches saw them attain global fame.

“Did I enjoy the crazy periods when I was 18 or 25? Of course I did,” said Shaun. “We were a group of young lads going round the world getting stoned and playing music – brilliant.

“Now as a 50-odd-year-old, (he’s 55) I enjoy this period of my life just as much as the others.”

On Tuesday, Ryder will be bringing the Happy Mondays to Preston Guild Hall and admits that revisiting songs from that first album have been a challenge.

“We’ve had to redo them a bit.” he said. “We’ve never done it live properly so we’ve had to tighten up the songs a bit and still get as close to the original album as possible.”

Looking back at songs written so long ago has proved a surprisingly good experience.

“When we took Bummed our second album out to mark its 25th anniversary about three years ago, I’d not listened to that album since we came out of the studio in 1988,” he said.

“I had to start relearning it and listening closely to it I thought ‘you know what lad, it’s a good album this.Pat yourself on the back, it’s all right’.

“What it is, when you are doing it, you just move on. You haven’t got time to appreciate it like you should, You are continually moving on trying to do it better. It’s like going out now at the age we are, we all appreciate it and love what we are doing.

“Back in the day it was all touring, doing press, doing another album, touring – it was all just part of the job, Now we do appreciate it. more.

“And I’m not saying this because we’ve got a tour to sell, but the band are playing those songs better than ever. We sound better than ever.”

It may be 30 years since their debut and seven years since their last studio album, but the Happy Mondays fanbase keeps growing.

“We are so lucky,” said Shaun. “We have fans who go from 12 to those in their seventies. You get all these college kids who are discovering music like I did in my teens. although for me it was the Velvet Underground, Then you’ve had our trips into reality TV (Ryder was runner up on I’m A Celebrity and Bez went into the Big Brother House) which has brought a whole different type of fan.”

One thing fans of all ages want to know is when there will finally be a new Mondays’ album?

“With the Mondays there are five or six of us and everyone’s got a say, they’ve all got big personalities,” he said. “Last time I went off to do a Black Grape album while people were trying to sort things out. That’s a lot simpler as it’s just me and Kermit so we can just get on with it.

“The next two years will all be about promoting the Black Grape album so maybe in 2020 we will have another go. We have got to do one, we really have got to do another Mondays’ album. So I’m trying for 2020.”

Happy Mondays, Preston Guild Hall, Tuesday, November 28. Details from 01772 804444 or www.prestonguildhall.co.uk