STARSAILOR are returning with three special shows to commemorate the 15th anniversary of their album, Silence is Easy.

Released in 2003, Silence is Easy peaked at number two in the charts and became gold certified.

To celebrate the milestone, the Warrington and Wigan band will play the record in full plus selected hits from their back catalogue accompanied by a string section.

The short tour includes a Manchester date at The Ritz on November 20.

Starsailor formed in 2000 when best mates James 'Stel' Stelfox and Ben Byrne, who met at St Oswald’s RC Primary School in Padgate, teamed up with James Walsh and Barry Westhead at Wigan and Leigh Music College.

After signing to EMI Records, they rose to fame in 2001 with the release of their debut album, Love Is Here.

Their success story continued with their second album Silence Is Easy, which featured production from John Leckie (The Stone Roses, Radiohead), Danton Supple (Elbow, Doves) and Phil Spector (John Lennon, George Harrison) and sold more than 54,000 copies within a week.

It also features three of the band’s biggest hits including Silence Is Easy, Born Again and Four To The Floor.

Title track, Silence is Easy is Starsailor's most successful single in the UK reaching number nine in the charts while Four to the Floor is the band's biggest international hit and also featured in Layer Cake, starring Daniel Craig.

Since then, the band have weathered a break-up and a reunion and released a further three studio albums, culminating in the release of All This Life in 2017.

Singer James Walsh said: "We’re really excited to perform our album, Silence is Easy, in its entirety with a string section for the first time to celebrate the 15 year anniversary of the record.

"This is the album that gave us the opportunity to record at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios and garnered our biggest international hit, Four to the Floor. See you at the front."

n Starsailor perform Silence is Easy at The Ritz in Manchester on November 20.

Tickets go on sale on Friday at 9am.

Visit gigsandtours.com or ticketmaster.co.uk

DAVID MORGAN