Leeds Festival line-up revealed – but no sign of the Arctic Monkeys
THEY ARE one of Yorkshire’s biggest bands, so it would have seemed only right that their comeback trail would see an appearance at the region’s showpiece music festival.
But Arctic Monkeys, the indie band that formed in Sheffield in 2002, have not been included in the line-up for this summer’s Leeds Festival, leading to disappointment among fans.
The South Yorkshire band announced last month that they were to make a comeback after taking a break from the music industry in 2014, sparking speculation that an appearance at Leeds Festival was on the cards. Rapper Kendrick Lamar has been confirmed as one of the four headliners for the festival, which has a sister event in Reading, along with rock bands Fall Out Boy, Kings of Leon and Panic! at the Disco.
However, the absence of a number of bands has been met with derision from some and the line-up has also been dubbed “incredibly underwhelming”.
One music fan wrote on Twitter: “Don’t know what to say about the Reading and Leeds line-up. So glad I didn’t buy my ticket early, pains me to say it but I might not bother this year. #RnL2018.”
Melvin Benn, the managing director of organiser Festival Republic, claimed Reading and Leeds “prides itself on being a music-first festival”. It takes place at Reading’s Richfield Avenue and Leeds’s Brahman Park from August 24 to 26.