Franz Ferdinand, Muse & Pearl Jam for Reading & Leeds

The Carling Weekend: Reading & Leeds Festivals have announced the headliners for this year - Franz Ferdinand (Reading Friday/Leeds Saturday), Muse (Reading Saturday/Leeds Sunday), and Pearl Jam (Reading Sunday/Leeds Friday).

Franz Ferdinand get to headline just three years after their performance in the Carling Tent at Reading & Leeds in 2003.

Muse established themselves as worthy headliners for any festival after closing Glastonbury in 2004 and with their new album due for release on 3rd July, this will be an early chance to hear them live.

Pearl Jam are a real coup for the festival. After nine fans died in a crowd crush while they played at Roskilde Festival in Denmark in 2000, they vowed to only ever play shows where they had full control of the set-up, to ensure the crowd weren't at risk - and this of course excludes festivals. Despite the good safety record of Reading and Leeds, it must have taken some serious persuasion from organisers Mean Fiddler to pull this off.

There'll be more bands announced in around an hour - at 7:15pm - and tickets also go on sale at that point. They're bound to sell out quickly, so have your credit cards at the ready!

Reading Festival takes place at Little Johns Farm, Richfield Avenue, Reading, Berkshire, and Leeds Festival takes place at Bramham Park, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Both festivals happen on Friday 25th to Sunday 27 August.

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