Helen Brown looks at the line-up announced for the annual Reading and Leeds Festival

THE annual Reading and Leeds Festival, due to open its gates to music fans over the August Bank Holiday weekend, has just released this year's line-up. Indie-rockers, The Libertines will bring the good ship Albion to the main stage this summer, cementing a relationship with the event, which dates back to 2002.

Having risen through the festival's billing, the legendary troubadours Peter Doherty, Carl Barât, Gary Powell and John Hassall made their main stage debut in 2003 and blew the crowds away in 2010 when they famously reunited at the festival. Now, for the first time, they will take their rightful place as Reading and Leeds headliners. With a long-awaited new record in the works, their set will undoubtedly be one of the defining moments of this year's event.

“I’ve just woken up and I can’t stop thinking about playing at Reading and Leeds,” says Peter Doherty of The Libertines Peter Doherty.

With more than 50 names and main stage acts such as Mumford & Sons and Metallica now confirmed, artists to watch out for include the Grammy-nominated rapper Kendrick Lamar – who will showcase his powerful wordplay in this debut performance – creative indie rock heroes The Maccabees, and West Yorkshire favourites Marmozets, who have graduated to top billing.

The NME/BBC Radio 1 stage have American rock band Limp Bizkit, rap prodigy Tyler and the Liverpudlian band of the moment, Circa Waves, plus the emotionally-charged Pennsylvania four-piece and beat-maker Jamie XX.

There's plenty happening on The BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage too, with Boy Better Know featuring JME, Skepta, Wiley, Shorty, Solo 45, Maximum, Jammer and Frisco and the electronic dance duo Knife Party returning this summer for a Friday closing set.

The Lock Up Pit stage pop punk band New Found Glory headlining on the festival's Friday session.

Festival boss Melvin Benn has spent time reviewing the ticket price and said, “I felt that where we had got to with the day price was too high and once I really examined it decided to go the whole hog and reduce it to £59.50. However, anyone thinking it’s a way to get the weekend including camping cheaper will be disappointed. It will not give access to the campsite as I'm creating new entrances for day ticket holders. It’s still great though for those that don't want to camp."

  • The festival runs from August 28 to 30 at Richfield Avenue, Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds.

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