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Reading and Leeds 2019 lineup: Fans react to The 1975, Foo Fighters and Post Malone being announced as headliners

The line-up has fans of the festival divided

Jack Shepherd
Wednesday 21 November 2018 12:34 GMT
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Matthew Healy of The 1975 at TRNSMT Festival
Matthew Healy of The 1975 at TRNSMT Festival (Rex Features)

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The headliners for this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals have been announced, with Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, The 1975 and Post Malone topping the bill.

Tweeters have reacted with mixed emotions, some praising the line-up for giving acts that have never headlined a festival before a chance, while others have criticised the selection for featuring lesser-known acts.

Perhaps the most startling statistic being shared concerns the lack of female acts who have headlined the festival – in the last decade, only one female fronted group (Paramore) have topped the festivals’ main stage.

Unlike last year’s initial line-up announcement, which only included one female act, this year’s features Hayley Kiyoko, Billie Eilish and Stefflon Don, along with the groups Pale Waves, PVRIS and the Distillers.

Foo Fighters return to Reading and Leeds comes six years after they last appeared on the main stage. Their latest album Concrete and Gold went to No 1 in the UK last year.

Meanwhile, The 1975 will be making their headline debut, following on from the release of their forthcoming third album A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. Post Malone and Twenty One Pilots, two acts from America, will co-headline the third day, neither having headlined the festival before.

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