Stone age rockers to hit Leeds Festival

The American band have been confirmed as main stage co-headliners on the Saturday night of the annual music extravaganza.

They will share top billing at Bramham Park on the Saturday with pop-rock group Paramore.

The event’s previously-announced Friday and Sunday main stage headliners are Blink 182 and Yorkshire’s Arctic Monkeys respectively.

Melvin Benn, managing director of event organiser Festival Republic, dubbed Arctic Monkeys “the greatest band planet” at a launch event for the festival this week.

“I would describe it as a coup,” he added. “Trust me, everybody wanted to book them.”

Freshly-confirmed names on Friday’s bill include Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, A Day To Remember, Sleeping With Sirens and Clean Bandit.

The latest acts booked for Saturday, meanwhile, also include Vampire Weekend, Enter Shikari, Jimmy Eat World, Temples and Drenge.

Imagine Dragons, Foster the People, the Hives, Peace, Bombay Bicycle Club and Don Broco are among the new artists announced for Sunday.

Mr Benn lifted the lid on Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore’s co-headlining status.

Queens of the Stone Age will take to the stage before Paramore at Bramham Park, with the roles reversed for Leeds’s sister festival in Reading.

Mr Benn said: “Arctic Monkeys were done and dusted early – but both Queens of the Stone Age and Paramore wanted to play the remaining night. Luckily we were able to persuade them to figuratively toss a coin to see who would close each show.”