Britpop band Blur have reunited and will play in Hyde Park next July.

The chart-topping Nineties act, comprising Damon Albarn, Alex James, Dave Rowntree and Graham Coxon, have patched up their differences after their acrimonious split in 2002.

Park afterlife: Damon Albarn

Blur will also be headlining at Glastonbury next June before their London gig on 3 July.

Blur last performed eight years ago at the Royal Festival Hall but broke up in 2002 as tension between band member s spi l led over.

Albarn and guitarist Coxon are said to have barely spoken to each other for six years.

Blur became a huge commercial success with the album Parklife in 1994 and were hailed as one of the best bands of their time.

Coxon, 39, quit the band during the recording of their seventh LP Think Tank. Since then Albarn, 40, has found success as a solo artist and founded the virtual band Gorillaz and The Good, The Bad and the Queen. He also wrote the opera Monkey: Journey to the West. )Guitarist Coxon, 39, has released three solo albums since the band split but was dropped by label EMI this year.

Drummer Rowntree, 44, is chairman of the West End branch of the Labour Party while bassist James is now a newspaper columnist. Speaking of their reunion, James, 40, said: "It will be good. What's not to like?"

And on the band mates being on speaking terms again, he added: "That's the main thing, that we should all be thinking good thoughts about each other at Christmas."