Rock giants U2 are to play a string of UK dates as they announced a world tour today − their first major series of indoor shows for a decade.

Unveiling their plans, they also said they were preparing performances in their home city of Dublin in Ireland which are yet to be finalised.

The Innocence + Experience tour will begin in Canada in May and move through the US before heading to Europe.

Tour dates follow the release of their Songs of Innocence album. Another album, Songs of Experience, is expected to be released by the band in the coming months − both albums named after volumes of poetry by William Blake.

Bono − who had surgery on his arm last month after a bike accident in New York’s Central Park − said: “We are going to try to have a completely different feeling from night one to night two, and have some fun playing with the idea of innocence and experience.

“More to be revealed.”