Photo credit: Yui Mok/PA

It’s the end of an era: Bez has retired from dancing.

A member of seminal Madchester jokers The Happy Mondays – who, in perhaps the most predictable news story of all time, reformed last year shortly after the Stone Roses did – Bez didn’t play an instrument or contribute in the studio, but danced on stage and generally became an invaluable part of the band’s stage presence and personality. In the liner notes for Happy Mondays albums, he’s simply credited as ‘Bez’, in the same way an actual musician would be ‘guitars’.

Unfortunately he won’t be dancing when the band tour this year. According to an interview with the NME, he “won’t be on the stage because my performing days are over. Basically I’m too old … I’m incapable of doing the job, I’m carrying too many injuries. All good things come to an end.”

Never fear though, Bez will still be appearing as compère and DJ.

Happy Mondays May tour dates:
3 Newcastle O2 Academy
4 Glasgow O2 Academy
5 Manchester Arena
6 Sheffield O2 Academy
9 Bournemouth O2 Academy
10 London O2 Academy Brixton
11 London O2 Academy Brixton
12 Birmingham O2 Academy
14 Dublin Olympia
17 Leeds O2 Academy
18 Nottingham Rock City