NME Festival Guide
2009

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Reading And Leeds Festivals: Rage, Metallica and Killers to headline

Babyshambles, QOTSA, Bloc Party - find out who else will be playing

March 31, 2008 | 19 Comments

Rage Against The Machine, Metallica and The Killers will headline this year's Reading and Leeds Festivals, set to take place on August 22-24.

Tickets are on sale through NME.COM from 7:30pm (BST) tonight. To buy your ticket, head to the NME Reading and Leeds Festivals ticket page for more information.

Rage Against The Machine will headline the Main Stage on the Friday (August 22) at Reading, playing at Leeds on the Saturday (August 23).

The Killers will play Reading on the Saturday, then head to Leeds on the Sunday (August 24).

Metallica will headline Reading on the Sunday and Leeds on the Friday.

On the NME/Radio 1 Stage, Babyshambles, Manic Street Preachers and The Cribs will play headline slots at Reading on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, playing at Leeds on the Saturday, Monday and Friday respectively.

The likes of Queens Of The Stone Age, The Fratellis and The Enemy will play below Rage Against The Machine on the Main Stage, with The Wombats and MGMT playing on the NME/Radio 1 Stage.

Bloc Party, The Raconteurs, Editors and We Are Scientists will play on the Main Stage beneath The Killers, with Bullet For My Valentine, Justice and Foals playing the NME/Radio 1 Stage below Manic Street Preachers.

Tenacious D, Slipknot and Feeder play beneath Metallica on the Main Stage, with The Cribs playing after Conor Oberst and Pendulum on the NME/Radio 1 Stage.

The line-up for the Reading and Leeds festivals so far is:

Reading: Friday August 22, Leeds: Saturday August 23

Main Stage
Rage Against The Machine
Queens Of The Stone Age
The Fratellis
The Enemy
Biffy Clyro
Serj Tankian
Dizzee Rascal
Taking Back Sunday
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Anti-Flag

NME/Radio 1 Stage
Babyshambles
The Wombats
Vampire Weekend
MGMT

Reading: Saturday August 23, Leeds: Sunday August 24

Main Stage
The Killers
Bloc Party
The Raconteurs
Editors
We Are Scientists
Dirty Pretty Things
The Subways

NME/Radio 1 Stage
Manic Street Preachers
Bullet For My Valentine
Justice
Foals

Reading: Sunday August 24, Leeds: Friday August 23

Main Stage
Metallica
Tenacious D
Slipknot
Feeder
Avenged Sevenfold
Dropkick Murphys

NME/Radio 1 Stage
The Cribs
Conor Oberst
Pendulum

Keep checking NME.COM for exclusive Reading and Leeds Festival announcements.

Plus, see the new issue of NME, out tomorrow (April 2), for more details on the line-up, plus interviews with the acts playing on the bill, including The Killers, Metallica, Babyshambles, Manic Street Preachers and more.

Reading/Leeds Festival tickets:

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Comments (19)

Add a comment

HillOverkill

Apr 1, 2008

I havent been able to get ticketsI want to go so badly

Indietimmy

Apr 1, 2008

what a shitty line up

mavity

Apr 1, 2008

wow! loving the line up!! its gonna be amaing!!

lmb92

Apr 1, 2008

wot the f**k have metallica offered to music. A stupid excuse of a metal band.

emo_lol

Apr 1, 2008

Possibly the best line-up I've ever heard of at Reading. Managed to get a coach/weekend ticket.. so I'm bluddy excited! Only complaint is that Manics should blatently be headlining Main Stage over Killers.. but hey, I finally get to see the Manics! And then there's Rage, Bloc Party, Queens, Tenacious D, Slipknot, We Are Scientists, Biffy... :D :D :D

Modern Rubbish

Apr 1, 2008

apart from rage and the manics that is a very boring line up, do they really need bloc party to play virtually the same slot two years in a row? Festivaless summer for me this year.

indiestar77

Apr 1, 2008

I guessed those headliners a while back

indiestar77

Apr 1, 2008

great line up, headliners were a bit predictable

ncarroll89

Apr 1, 2008

Sick

mul1989

Apr 1, 2008

ive got my ticket :) :) :) :) Bring it on!!

SuperMikey

Apr 1, 2008

Wow, took me ages to get my ticket, but boy is it going to be worth it! What an effing brilliant lineup so far..

jackurzzzzz

Apr 1, 2008

yh got my tickets gonna be gd

underclasshero

Apr 1, 2008

Tenacious D, thats wicked :) Taking Back Sunday deserved that main stage slot as well, there an awesome live band, good that Bloc Party and Biffy are playing too.

bradpringle

Apr 1, 2008

Got tickets after about an hour, and then managed to get two more about an hour after that using the same secure part of the website (helpful hint, get the payment part website address, copy it, send it to yer friends) and got confirmation this morning.Looking forward to it but not as jazzed as I used to be when I got festival tickets. Maybe it's the line up, maybe I'm getting old, maybe its the lack of sleep over the last 24 hours...Line up is good but nothing is gonna beat 2005 headliners (iron maiden, pixies, foos). I think 2005 might have ruined every festival from now on for me.

indie_rhi_plop

Apr 1, 2008

me thinks i will stay away from the main stage when the headliners are on!was doubting going this year but there are a lot of good bands on that i like but dont think the line up is as good as past years. still will have a bloody good time though!!!!!

nicnaks99

Apr 1, 2008

i chose to opt for T in the park instead of the usual Reading this yearNow that i have seen this line up...i am really glad i did thatOther than The raconteurs and Queens of the stone age...this line up is pants

clewless80

Apr 2, 2008

This really is a classic Reading line up. In other words, a massive cliche. Metal hasn't had any original ideas in a long while and this is reflected in the same old grunt playing the same old slots. Who is it next year? The Foo's, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and (insert indie band of the moment here). At least Glastonbury is trying to come up with some new, fresh ideas.

Strick2k

Apr 2, 2008

This will be my first ever festival, my friend asked me the day before tickets went on sale, and I declined, but as soon as I saw that The Killers, Metallica & RATM were headlining, I had to come, booked a weekend ticket, hopefully the weather will be nice, it will be life defining!