Mod British pop-rockers Elastica are about to return to the public eye after a three-year absence, during which founding guitarist Donna Matthews quit the band.

The band will perform live for the first time since 1996 on Aug. 27 and 28 at the Reading and Leeds Festival. A still-untitled album is due in early next year, and a six-track, UK-only EP due Monday will serve as a window on the band's evolution since it receded from sight.

"We're really pleased to be putting something out at last," singer/guitarist Justine Frischmann said. "We've gone through a lot of different stages ... and I think ... these tracks ... reflect this."

Elastica's eponymous debut, released in 1995, turned them into immediate stars with such guitar-driven songs as "Connection" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Stutter."

But Frischmann had reservations about the life of a rock star, according to band spokesperson Mick Houghton.

"Justine hated being in the public eye and all the attention she was getting purely because of her relationship with Damon [Albarn, singer with Brit-pop band Blur], so she partly deliberately waited," he said. "But I've spent a lot of time with [Elastica] lately, and I can genuinely say that they really have a positive attitude now."

In the intervening years, Elastica's lineup has fluctuated. Original bassist Annie Holland has returned after a four-year hiatus. Frischmann, who co-founded the band with Matthews, remains lead vocalist and guitarist, and original drummer Justin Welch is still on board.

Dave Bush (keyboards and programming), Paul Jones (guitar), and Mew (keyboards and backing vocals), who goes by that name only, have been added in the wake of Matthews' departure in April. But Jones remains guitarist for Linoleum, another female-fronted pop-rock group, while Mew has a second project British band Heave.

The six EP tracks, all new, were chosen to reflect different phases of the band's development. "Nothing Stays the Same" is a home demo by Matthews. "Miami Nice" is a home recording by Frischmann and Lawrence Hardy of disbanded Brit-pop band Kingmaker. "Operate" is a live recording written by Matthews and Elastica.

The remaining three tracks, "Generator," "How He Wrote Elastica Man" and "KB," were recorded with the new lineup. Mark E. Smith, frontman of veteran post-punk band the Fall, sings on the latter two.

Frischmann, who co-founded Elastica in 1991 after leaving Suede — a band she formed with her then-boyfriend and current Suede frontman, Brett Anderson — said "the EP is certainly not intended to be some big comeback record."

She described its material as "too raw for the [upcoming] album," but added, "I think it's important to let fans hear some of the new material before Reading and Leeds, although the live set as a whole will, generally, be a better representation of the new album material."

There is no easy explanation for the band's lengthy absence, according to Houghton.

"Basically, they started recording the new album in autumn '96," he said. "At that point, the relationship between Donna and Justine was not so good, and they seemed to almost forget what they were doing. They'd almost lost a sense of purpose."

When Matthews left the band, Frischmann expressed sadness but said she also felt relief. "We can now move forward," she said.

Frischmann said the band is looking forward to headlining the second stage at Reading and Leeds. "We've been away for a long time, and it's just really exciting to be working and playing as a whole band again," she said. "It's going to be a challenge."

The band doesn't plan to release the new EP in the U.S., but Elastica's new album, due in January or February, will be released simultaneously in the Britain and the U.S., Houghton said.