A LOCAL band have been announced as the support act for a music legend on their latest tour.

Darlington band The Skapones will warm up the crowd for The Specials on their 40th anniversary tour.

The Specials are known for their singles Ghost Town and A Message To You Rudy, and will be stopping at Middlesbrough, May 5, and Scarborough on May 6.

Lead singer of The Skapones, Paul Williams, said they were surprised with the news while they were playing in Europe.

He said: “We have just returned from a very successful event in Poland and on Saturday night, when we were playing in Poland, it was announced we were going to be supporting.

“We have started working on our set but at the minute we are still touring.

“They are our heroes so it’s massive. We’ll be playing to thousands of people which is fantastic. We can’t wait.”

In December 2018 The Skapones knocked The Specials off the top spot in the UK Reggae charts with their single, Skapones A Go-Go.

The band are now looking forward to sharing the stage with their heroes later this year.