The La's plan long-awaited return

Lee Mavers (left) has recruited Drew McConnell (right) to play in the band

The La's frontman Lee Mavers is to revive the iconic indie band to record a second album, 19 years after the release of their first.

Known for the 1990 hit There She Goes, the enigmatic group enjoy legendary status among many fans and critics.

The news of their return has come from Babyshambles bassist Drew McConnell, who has joined Mavers in the band.

McConnell said Mavers had finished writing the new album, and the pair are auditioning drummers and guitarists.

The new incarnation of the group will make their live debut in July at Sheffield's Tramlines festival, before a full UK tour.

"At the end of that tour we're going to go in and record the second record, which is all written already," McConnell told BBC 6 Music.

"We just need to find a drummer and a guitar player that can nail it down the same way I have."

The La's, with Mavers (left) and John Power, returned to the stage in 2005

McConnell has replaced former bassist John Power, who went on to front Britpop group Cast.

McConnell said: "He [Lee Mavers] saw me playing double bass and asked me if he could have a jam with me.

"The next day he came round to my house. A month later he's still there... As a musician I feel really honoured. I must have done something good in a past life."

But fans may still be sceptical about the chances of a second record seeing the light of day.

Recluse

Stories abound of how the maverick Mavers obsessively and painstakingly attempted to pin down the "purity" of his music first time around.

He spent years in the studio, worked his way through producers and, on one occasion, apparently rejected a vintage mixing desk because it did not come with original dust.

When the sessions eventually petered out, their record label asked producer Steve Lillywhite to piece together the rejected recordings.

The results formed their debut album, but Mavers disowned it and became a virtual recluse.

They played occasional shows in the mid-1990s, and rumours about new material have surfaced ever since. They also played a tour and a series of festivals, including Glastonbury, in 2005.

Reporting by BBC 6 Music's Dino Sofos.