Sweet plots new dates, live album

Glam-era British rockers Sweet, led by original member and bassist Steve Priest, will hit the road this year behind the band's first live album in more than a decade.

The group--currently featuring a lineup of Priest with vocalist Joe Retta, Stuart Smith on guitar, keyboardist Stevie Stewart and drummer Richie Onar--kicks off the outing April 9 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The band, now based in Southern California, has eight dates scheduled through August. Details are below.

"Sweet--Live in America" was taped during the band's "Are You Ready, Steve?" tour that got underway last year. The album, which is currently available for purchase through Sweet's website, will debut on the syndicated Westwood One radio network. More information can be found at Westwood One's website.

Formed in the late '60s in England and originally known as The Sweetshop, the group enjoyed a run of chart success in the early- and mid-'70s, with hits including "Ballroom Blitz," "Fox on the Run," "Action" and "Love is Like Oxygen." The band's most well-known configuration--featuring Priest, lead singer Brian Connolly, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker--split in 1979, leading to a large number of lineup changes over the years.

A pair of brief reunions followed, most recently in 1990. Connolly died of liver failure in 1997, and Tucker passed away from leukemia in 2002. Scott has toured in recent years with his own version of the band, Andy Scott's Sweet.

The group's final studio album, 1982's "Identity Crisis," was recorded after Connolly left the group.