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THE Stone Roses have been confirmed to play next year’s T in the Park, returning as headliners after playing the festival in 2012.

The Manchester rockers will top the bill on the opening night of the 2016 weekender on Friday, July 8.

The band will also play two dates at Manchester Etihad Stadium on June 17 and 18.

Speculation about a new album by the band and a new raft of tour dates had hit fever pitch after posters of their iconic lemon logo - which appeared on the band’s iconic debut album in 1989 – popped up in shop windows in their hometown.

Posters were seen at Manchester’s Close barber’s shop as well as the city’s Vinyl Revival record store with shopkeepers “sworn to secrecy about an announcement”.

16 posters appeared in each store which fans guessed represented 2016.

Rock stars including Charlatans singer Tim Burgess and Courteeners frontman Liam Fray had also tweeted lemons, helping to build the anticipation that the legendary group were set to return.

It is 21 years since the band last released an album, called The Second Coming.

Now fans are thrilled at the possibility of hearing a raft of new songs.

(Image: Samir Hussein/Getty Images)

Hopes had been raised that the band, which reformed three years ago for a world tour that included three huge shows at Manchester’s Heaton Park will release a much anticipated third album.

The term ‘stoneroses’ began trending on Twitter as excited fans braced themselves for news.

The band formed in Manchester in 1983 and consist vocalist of Ian Brown, guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani, and drummer Reni.

Their 1989 debut album, The Stone Roses,is regarded by many critics as one of the greatest British albums ever recorded.

After a lengthy legal battle with their label Silvertone, they signed to Geffen Records in 1991 and released the follow up album The Second Coming three years later.

But the group soon disbanded in 1996 after line-up changes that saw Reni quit in late-1995, followed by Squire a few months later.

In 2011, they announced their reunion.

The announcement of a marquee act to headline T in the Park in its second year at Strathallan Castle will help to boost the festival’s fortunes after a shaky start at the new site.

T in the Park boss Geoff Ellis was forced to apologise after the chaos in the car parks in July and amid controversy over a £150,000 grant from the Scottish Government.

The grant was made to DF Concerts to help with the move from Balado, forced on the event by health and safety chiefs because of an underground gas pipe at the airfield near Kinross.

T in the Park 2016 will take place from July 8-10, 2016.

Ellis has promised a raft of infrastructure improvements.

Tickets for T in the Park 2016 go on sale on Friday at 9.30am by calling 08444 999990 Friday or from www.tinthepark.com and www.ticketmaster.co.uk