Seminal rock act The Stone Roses announced their reunion today with live shows and the promise of new songs.

Band members had long dismissed talk of ever getting back together after falling apart in 1996.

But today they buried their differences and announced hometown shows at Manchester's Heaton Park next summer, plus further dates around the world.

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Guitarist John Squire said he and singer Ian Brown had met at the funeral of bass player Gary 'Mani' Mounfield's mother.

"When me and Ian met by chance it changed everything. In some ways it felt like 15 years ago was yesterday," he said.

Brown said: "Our plan is to take on the world."

Brown continued: "We're going to start off in our home town, Manchester, with two gigs in Heaton Park on June 29 and 30 and after that we're going to take it round the world."

Drummer Reni, who dropped out of the music world after leaving the band in 1995, joked: "If anyone buys a ticket." Click here for 'Stone Roses tickets: How to make sure you don't miss out'.

The band have already begun rehearsals and working on new material. "It's not a trip down memory lane. We are doing new songs," Brown said.

Mani said: "There's something magical happens when us four are in a room together. You can't put your finger on it. It's just so beautiful to get hold of it again. Missed it, you know."

The band was fondly remembered for a self-titled first album, released in 1989, which is widely seen as one of the greatest debuts of all time. But it took five years to provide a follow-up and tensions led first to Reni, then Squire, quitting in 1995.

The band limped on with replacements but split after a disastrous performance at Reading Festival in 1996.

There has been next to no contact between Squire and childhood pal Brown since then and they have repeatedly denied they would ever reform.

Squire, who has since developed a career as an artist, said today: "I just couldn't see it happening and I resented the fact that people were trying to force it on me.

"Everything changed when me and Ian started seeing each other again. It was surreal. We went from crying, laughing about the old days, to writing songs in a heartbeat.

"In some ways, it's a friendship that defines us both - and it needed fixing."

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