Reading and Leeds to have 3 American headliners

Reading and Leeds Festivals organiser Melvin Benn has confirmed in an interview with BBC 6 Music, as reported here on the BBC news site, that there are to be three American headliners.

He said the acts for the festivals, which will happen as usual over the August Bank holiday weekend from Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th August, were 'in place'. Mr Benn let slip in the interview that, "Interesting this year is that, probably for the first time, in my memory, we're actually going with three American headliners."

eFestivals believes two of these American acts will be Metallica, and Rage Against The Machine. The third headliner could possibly be fellow Americans, The Killers.

We'll of course have all the details when formally announced, expected sometime in March.

He also confirmed the earlier eFestivals story that there will not be a sponsor replacement for previous backer Carling.

"I wanted it to be, as I'm sure fans wanted it to be, slightly less corporate," Mr Benn, the managing director of concert organiser Festival Republic, told listeners, "I wanted to reclaim the name Reading Festival and the name Leeds Festival. I wanted them to return to their roots, so to speak. I didn't want the events to be called after a sponsor. I'm not asking another sponsor to come in."

Latest Updates