“I never thought this would happen,” Jackson said. “But at some point, it struck me that 2003 would be our 25th anniversary, which was quite a staggering thought. I started to wonder if some kind of reunion might be fun and the more I thought about it, the more appealing it seemed.

“We’re gonna do quite a big tour and hopefully go to some places that we never got to the first time around, like Australia and Japan,” Jackson said. “I think we’re all really enthused about going on the road and it’s very sweet to have this opportunity again.”

For now, fans in Australia and Japan will have to wait as the band is booked solid from mid-March through the beginning of June. They launch their tour in New Orleans and visit select theatres around North America before heading over to Europe, where the band will spend most of their time.

Just before Jackson and crew hit the road, the band will put out an album of new tunes. The release of Volume 4 coincides with the 25th anniversary of the recording of Jackson’s landmark debut Look Sharp.

According to Jackson, Volume 4 was recorded “completely without computers – no ProTools, no sequencers, none of that stuff. Just live to 24-track analog tape.”