THE Beautiful South return with a new album Superb on May 14 and will be showcasing it in Newport as part of a new UK tour.

In 1989, when singer Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway formed The Beautiful South following the demise of The Housemartins, few would have thought that 17 years and 11 albums later, the band would still be the soundtrack to so many of our lives.

Having sold over 15 million albums, and releasing one of the biggest selling British Best Of albums ever, the band has continued to write their unique brand of bittersweet love songs which strike a chord.

Superb was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World studios and in Eniskerry.

It was then mixed by the legendary Bill Price (Sex Pistols, Clash, Guns 'n' Roses).

Any Beautiful South fan will recognise Paul Heaton's hand in quirky song titles such as The Rose of My Cologne, The Cat Loves The Mouse and Never Lost A Chicken To A Fox.

Heaton told Venue: "The tracks cover love and loss and all that happens in-between.

"So many pop songs are written about 15 to 20 -year-olds. We've never really targeted them, or newly weds. We write about people who've lived together most of their lives."

Superb is the first release since 2004's covers album Golddiggas, Headnodders & Pholk Songs, which featured the Beautiful South's own interpretations of You're The One That I Want, Don't Fear the Reaper and Don't Stop Moving.

Heaton says: "Doing covers gives you bit more space, timewise. As a songwriter, you don't have to do anything, you can arrange but you don't have any song-writing to do.

"And while you're doing that, you find all these new songs running round in your head."

The band's new tour end with a show with Robbie Williams in Dublin in front of 85,000 people.

You can catch them at the Newport Centre on June 2.

Ticket costing £25, from Newport Centre at 01633 656 757.