NME Festival Guide
2009

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Kings Of Leon, Radiohead and Arctic Monkeys for Reading And Leeds Festivals

2009 line-up announced today (Mar 30)

March 30, 2009 | 20 Comments

Radiohead, Kings Of Leon and Arctic Monkeys will headline the 2009 Reading And Leeds Festivals, NME.COM can exclusively reveal.

The festival, which takes place between August 28-30, will also see Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Vampire Weekend, Kaiser Chiefs and Glasvegas joining the line-up in this first announcement. Full the full line-up so far see below.

Tickets for this year's festival have gone on sale as the bill was announced. Buy yours exclusively through NME.COM by heading to our special ticket link at Seetickets.com/nmereadingleeds.

Meanwhile get this week's issue of NME, on newsstands nationwide from Wednesday (April 1), for exclusive interviews with the headliners, plus the latest from festival chief Melvin Benn on the radical new plans for the 2009 festival.

The Reading And Leeds Festivals will feature the following bands:

READING FRIDAY (AUGUST 28)/ LEEDS SUNDAY (30)

Main Stage
Kings Of Leon
Kaiser Chiefs
Placebo
Fall Out Boy
Funeral For A Friend
Deftones

READING SATURDAY (29)/ LEEDS FRIDAY (28)

Main Stage
Arctic Monkeys
The Prodigy
Maximo Park
Ian Brown
Courteeners

READING SUNDAY (30)/ LEEDS SATURDAY (29)

Main stage
Radiohead
Bloc Party
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Vampire Weekend
Brand New

Acts have also been announced for the NME/ Radio 1 Stage, with The Gossip and Glasvegas set to co-headline. The line-up for the second stage so far is:

READING SATURDAY (29)/ LEEDS FRIDAY (28)

The Gossip
Glasvegas

Plus the following acts will be playing the stage throughout the weekend:

AFI
Friendly Fires
Florence and the Machine
Gallows
Jamie T
The Gaslight Anthem
White Lies

More names will be announced next week, including a very special headline performance on the NME/ Radio One Stage, so stay tuned to NME and NME.COM.

To check the availability of Reading And Leeds Festivals tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

You can also check out a special photo gallery devoted to the Reading And Leeds 2009 line-up.

Meanwhile, let us know what you think of this year's Reading And Leeds line-up over on the NME festivals blog.

Reading/Leeds Festival tickets:

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Comments (20)

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billytheshroom

Mar 30, 2009

I can guess headliners of AC/DC on the tedious metal day, Snow Patrol and one other. There are so few massive bands to go round, and Reading / Leeds usually go for two current big bands to headline, so the other choice will be interesting. Bound to be rubbish whoever they are but interesting to see who it'll be.

time_for_something_biblical

Mar 30, 2009

It been confirmed that The Arctic Monkeys are one of the headliners....how friggin' lame!Words cannot convey how pissed off I am right now!!

eggy1609

Mar 31, 2009

It's pretty good line up so far - I hate radiohead but arctics and KOL are two of my favourite band - would probly have gone if I wasn't going to see oasis kasabian and the enemy in manchester

Dirge1234

Mar 31, 2009

This is lame! Not a patch on last year!!

BadBaz

Mar 31, 2009

Why does Britain need another pop festival? They put the price up to pay for all the American bands in dollars. What American bands? Radiohead are great but surely not at a "rock" festival. Arctic Monkeys are a bore, Kings of Leon and Kaisers just pop tosh. Why not go the whole hog and invite Girls Aloud? So Sonisphere got the choice bands, but surely Tool, Iron Maiden, Muse, Green Day could have been invited? Why have FFAF and Enter Shikari opening the main stage below bands that they are far superior to? They'd have been better off headlining the Radio 1 tent so we don't have to suffer KOL and Arctic Monkeys.So we're paying nearly Â£200 for basically Radiohead, White Lies and Placebo and maybe Prodigy.Suddenly Download looks more attractive.

pluggedinbaby

Mar 31, 2009

i was told muse were headlining, which would have been brilliant and would have made sense seen as they have a new album on the way, disappointing...

geekslashfool

Mar 31, 2009

I feel like a complete idiot going on one of these silly forums. BUT, I don't understand why (and this sounds so snobby) Radiohead are playing READING. To me they would really hate the whole idea of a load of pissed up teenagers burning down other people's tents and behaving like retarded apes. As a posh boy who loves glastonbury, they've let me down.Plus Reading's shit anyway.

durene

Mar 31, 2009

I'd give anything to go. I love love love the Arctic Monkeys! The best music is in the UK, seriously. Why did my parents have to move us to America? ugh.

callaby

Mar 31, 2009

I'm not sure I can be bothered to spend summer standing in that same field, watching bands i've already seen play there in years past - could of got a more exciting lineup. to be honest kings of leon won't be as good as they were 2 years ago because of the kind of people that will be attracted to the festival because of sex on fire. and arctic monkeys were rubbish last time they played reading - they turned up late, were drunk, stood around tuning their guitars and when they played they were boring and the sound quality was poor. i'm definitely coming round to the idea that the smaller festivals are better than the bigger ones. if the smaller tents have some good bands i might think about going...

wabanger

Mar 31, 2009

After 3 failed see tickets attempts i got my ticket finally,albiet from viagogo!. These bands appearing are almost pricelessSo happy for 3 of the best bands around to be headlining Main Stage at Leeds this year,so happy with the line up. A few rumoured bands arent there which was bit disapointing,no mars volta or mozzer, but nice suprises such as Ian Brown and Prodigy which will make another great Leeds weekend!,and ile enjoy the main stage full volume at Leeds where as Reading and its tv audinence will have a quiet main stage again.Thank god for no overated reformed bands appearing!.

chrispaz

Mar 31, 2009

Blimey, what shitty and predictable headliners.

glimmers_of_hope

Mar 31, 2009

Best lineup of all festivals so far. Can't wait.

TOMQ84

Mar 31, 2009

The line up for Leeds on Friday is really good especially Monkeys, Courteeners and the legend is Ian Brown. Sunday is pretty shite with just one decent band (KOL) and the Saturday Line up is fuckin shite, especially that little shit Thom Yorke and fuckin Bloc Party, why dont Muse play while your at it and put all the shit together.

ArcticMonkey

Mar 31, 2009

Very special headline performance on the NME/Radio 1 Stage? Libs reunion anyone? As much as I'd love to see it, I'd struggle with who to choose to see, plus the tent would get rammed! If it happens, make it the main stage!!

luketherifle

Mar 31, 2009

V is better line up

pantokloo

Apr 1, 2009

these headliners is shit! ok so Arctic Monkeys is ok but Reading and Leeds have allways been my dream festival to go to couse thier headliners is often one step better than the others but this year their not much better than the festivals at home(in sweden)

TOMQ84

Apr 1, 2009

Callaby your so different to everyone else and how dare they have bands you dont like. I hate people like you, your the kind of person who loves a new band, but as soon as someone else likes them you go on about how much you hate them and how overrated they are. Its ok to like music other people like aswell.

domcruise

Apr 1, 2009

it's all about the sunday at reading. radiohead, yyy's and brand new! get on. not bothered about the rest, seen it all before.

spandexshagpants

Apr 1, 2009

Right, I'm soryy I can hold my tongue no longer. Firstly Snow Patrol...Reading/Leeds? Come on! You've obviously never been. Secondly "Why another festival?" This is the one big festival that usually bucks the trend and promotes good upcoming bands. I really disagree that Enter Shikari and FFAF are too low down on the bill, but that's just because I know the main stage is what attracts a lot of people to these festivals. If they headlined the Lock Up or FR stages, couldn't argue. Thirdly posh boy Radiohead playing Reading (they're playing Leeds too by the way) piss off to Glasto, this festival is about people who appreciate music, these bands come back to say thank you to the people who launched their careers. And as for V being a better line up enjoy Lady Ga Ga, Snow Patrol, Ocean Colour Scene, The Saturdays...Get a life.

misc.

Apr 1, 2009

Where's the metal.....Radiohead are shit...there's not enough rock...too much pop...it totally goes against my image to enjoy popular bands so I can't go see the arctic monkeys...I can't like KoL now that they've had a number one...blah blah blah. I am sick of people whining because they're too pretentious to enjoy musicians that had the audacity to enter the top 40 chart, or only like bands that dress all in black and pretend to worship satan. There's plenty of up and coming new music at Reading every year, and plenty of alternative music for people who dont like the main stage, that won't change this year. I don't like metallica but I didn't spend last year crying about the lineup.