Reading and Leeds festivals reveal staging shake-up for 2021 edition

Reading and Leeds festivals will return in 2021 with a new format featuring six headliners split across two main stages instead of one.

Stormzy, Liam Gallagher, Post Malone, Catfish And The Bottlemen, Disclosure and Queens Of The Stone Age will all top the bill between August 27-29.

The twin festivals will also feature AJ Tracey, Doja Cat, Lewis Capaldi, Mabel and Two Door Cinema Club.

Also announced are rappers Ashnikko, DaBaby and Fever 333, rising US singer Madison Beer, house DJ veteran MK and pop experimentalists 100 Gecs.

Gallagher said: “Yes Brothers and Sisters, I come bearing good news…Yours Truly is headlining Reading & Leeds 2021. C’MON YOU KNOW. LG”

Reading and Leeds were due to take place last weekend, but were cancelled earlier this year due to Covid-19.

Both grime star Stormzy and former Oasis frontman Gallagher were due to headline the events, along with rap-metal group Rage Against The Machine.

Melvin Benn, managing director of Reading and Leeds promoters Festival Republic, said: “After an absence of a year we are delighted to announce the 2021 return to Reading’s Richfield Avenue and Leeds’ Bramham Park in 2021 with our most epic plan yet.

“Two main stages, six headliners, the best line up of acts 2021 will see and 200,000 fans are going to celebrate the best music in the best music festivals in Britain.”

The BBC marked this year’s cancelled festivals by broadcasting archive sets by artists including Billie Eilish, The 1975 and Foo Fighters.

Festivals including Glastonbury and Coachella were also cancelled amid the pandemic.