U.K. act the Specials will not play its opening scheduled date of a five-night run at London's Brixton Academy.

Singer Terry Hall has been ordered to rest because of a throat infection, leading to the postponement of the May 6 show today hours before it was due to take place. It will now take place on May 16.

In a statement, the band says it "deeply regrets any inconvenience this may cause their fans," adding that it is "optimistic that the remaining shows at Brixton Academy will go ahead as planned." The act is due to play the 5,000-capacity venue on May 7, May 8, May 11 and May 12.

The Specials reformed for the U.K. tour, which was booked by X-Ray. The promoter is Metropolis Music.

The Coventry band split in 1981, following two albums and eight top ten singles for their '2-tone' sound, which combined punk and ska. They scored two No. 1 singles with ‘Too Much Too Young’ and ‘Ghost Town.’