THE Specials are set to appear at Boomtown Fair, organisers have announced.

The English pop band from Coventry in Warwickshire formed in 1977 and are one of the most prominent English 2 Tone and ska revival bands of the late 1970s and 80’s.

After seven consecutive UK Top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981 including Ghost Town and Too Much too young, three members of the group left the group to form Fun Boy Three.

Since the break-up of the original line-up, different members of the band performed in other bands and have reformed several times to tour and record in Specials-related projects.

They are also behind the hit single Free Nelson Mandela, which the band released as a protest against the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela by the apartheid South African government.

Appearing for the first ever time at Boomtown, The Specials will be performing on the Lion’s Den, the UK’s biggest reggae and ska stage.

Boomtown returns in 2017 branded Chapter 9: ‘Behind the Mask’ and the plot will unfold over the months leading up to the festival, where the entire ‘city’ will once again become a huge theatrical production based on an immersive storyline.

In total, 40 per cent of tickets were sold for this year’s event in the first week of release back in November.

This year’s festival is taking place on the 10th-14th August at the Matterley Bowl in Winchester.