Adrian Edmondson and The Bad Shepherds to play Birmingham

Adrian Edmondson and his band The Bad Shepherds have announced an extensive "first farewell" UK tour this autumn, including a date at Birmingham Town Hall on Thursday, November 3, 2011.

Edmondson has appeared in some of the UK's most loved cult comedies, including Bottom and The Young Ones.

Alongside his comedy, he has a rich and varied musical heritage which includes having a UK No 1 single (with Cliff Richard), touring with the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band and even performing on the main stage at Donington Monsters of Rock in 1986, fronting spoof band Bad News.

His band, The Bad Shepherds, play classic punk songs in a folk style. They have released two critically acclaimed albums and toured extensively since forming in 2008 and were nominated for Best Live Act at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

Though this tour by no means the end of The Bad Shepherds, they will be taking an extended sabbatical throughout 2012. With no firm plans in place for future tours these gigs are the first chance to say farewell.

Conceptually borne out of Edmondson's accidental (drunken) mandolin purchase and a subsequent backstage jam at a Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band gig, the idea came to fruition when Adrian somehow convinced two of the most talented folk performers on the circuit (virtuoso uilleann pipes player Troy Donockley and twice All-Ireland Fiddle Champion Andy Dinan) to join him in and form a unique band fusing punk songs with folk instrumentation.