Hmm, it’s a tough one this: where to spend our festival allowance. On the one hand, Bestival’s got the Village People. On the other, Mike And The Mechanics are only doing the Isle Of Wight. We’d have to go to Download to pelt Justin Hawkins with used dildos, and that would mean missing Cast at T In The Park.
Buuut seriously, it’s quite a dilemma choosing the right festival. They aint cheap these days and there’s a hell of a lot to choose from. While Arctic Monkeys fans won’t struggle to find a stage without their idols, many of this summer’s acts are in exclusivity deals or only doing the minimum work this summer.
So keeping it simple and focussing on the biggies in the UK and Ireland, here’s who’s at what. Which festival has the best line up, in your humble opinions? And which one(s) will you be at?
DOWNLOAD
Headliners: Def Leppard, System Of A Down, Linkin Park
Also on the bill: Avenged Sevenfold, Bullet For My Valentine, Alter Bridge, Pendulum and a reformed Skunk Anansie. Oh, and some band called The Darkness.
ISLE OF WIGHT
Headliners: Kings Of Leon, Foo Fighters, Kasabian
Also on the bill: Band Of Horses, The Courteeners, Beady Eye, Pulp, Manic Street Preachers, Tom Jones, Seasick Steve. And Mike And The Mechanics.
Isle Of Wight at NME.COM/festivals
GLASTONBURY
Headliners: U2, Coldplay, Beyoncé
Also on the bill: Morrissey, Biffy Clyro, BB King, Wu Tang Clan, Two Door Cinema Club, Primal Scream, Mumford & Sons, Fleet Foxes, Bright Eyes, Elbow, Paolo Nutini, The Chemical Brothers, White Lies, Pendulum, Plan B, Paul Simon
Glastonbury at NME.COM/festivals
SONISPHERE
Headliners: Slipknot, Biffy Clyro, Metallica
Also on the bill: Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax, Limp Bizkit, Weezer, The Mars Volta, You Me At Six, The Sisters Of Mercy
Sonisphere at NME.COM/festivals
T In The Park
Headliners: Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Coldplay
Also on the bill: The View, Tom Jones, Blink 182, My Chemical Romance, Cast, Eels, The Streets, Jimmy Eat World, Noah & The Whale, The Vaccines
T In The Park at NME.COM/festivals
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OXEGEN
Headliners: Blink 182 (or are they), The Foo Fighters, Coldplay
Also on the bill: Arctic Monkeys, The Script, The Strokes, Black Eyed Peas, Paolo Nutini, My Chemical Romance, Plan B, Beady Eye, Weezer, Deadmau5, Bruno Mars, Primal Scream (Screamadelica)
LATITUDE
Headliners: The National, Paolo Nutini, Suede
Also on the bill: Foals, Hurts, Kele, Bright Eyes, The Naked & Famous, Anna Calvi, Esben & The Witch, Rumer.
V FESTIVAL
Headliners: Arctic Monkeys, Eminem
Also on the bill: Plan B, Rihanna, Primal Scream, The Script, Kaiser Chiefs, N Dubz, Chase & Status, Bruno Mars, The Wombats, Pendulum, The Saturdays, Olly Murs
V Festival at NME.COM/festivals
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READING & LEEDS
Headliners: The Strokes, Muse, My Chemical Romance
Also on the bill: 30 Seconds To Mars, Beady Eye, Pulp, The National, The Offspring, Elbow, Interpol, Jane’s Addiction, Crystal Castles, The Streets
Reading and Leeds at NME.COM/festivals
BESTIVAL
Headliners: The Cure and more TBC
Also on the bill: Public Enemy, Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man, Chromeo, Village People, The Drums, Fatboy Slim
Who has the best headliners? Who has the best line-up overall? And which one(s) will you be at?