Reading/Leeds Festival 2009 Line Up Predictions

I'm not generally one for idle speculation, but with the official announcement of the Reading/Leeds Festival Line Up only weeks away (March 30, 7pm), it's about time we all started getting excited about it.

There is, as ever, a knack to working it out/guessing/blagging/etc., but if you look at the Festivals' exciting history things start to become a little easier.

Now that the Download Festival '09 Line Up is out (Slipknot, Faith No More and Def Leppard - check the site for full details) we can say who WON'T be headlining Reading and Leeds.

Of course, you always get one or two bands (The Subways last year for example) who play both festivals, but the big names rarely go for more than one appearance.

Headliners

The most likely contenders seem to be Green Day, with a new album released in April and them having headlined in 2004 (just before the incredibly successful American Idiot), four years seems like enough time to wait for them to come around, and many fans will be disappointed if the Oakland boys don't make a return.

Radiohead also seem to be high up on the rumours list, and are due a new album later this year, at the Featured Artists Conference though, there was little hint of festival appearances this year from guitarist Ed O'Brian:

"We are working on new material, we'll be doing some more recording. It's business as usual."

The band last appeared at Reading in 1994, some 15 years ago, and the band have grown significantly in the public conciousness since then, and some would argue they have been superseded by Matt Bellamy's Muse (who have played numerous times and headlined in 2006), who frequently cites them as a strong influence.

Though there are numerous other names being thrown around, the next strongest contender seems to be Arctic Monkeys, who were second from top on the bill in 2006. The band had only released one album at the time, and managed to get so high in the lineup mostly on hype, not without some justification I might add, but this time they have more experience, more music and more fans, so it seems likely they will use the opportunity to show off material from album number three. Anything to avoid the amateurish utterings from the last festival: "Are you enjoying yourselves? We don't know!"

But what of the rumours that the headliners would all be American? You're thinking of 2008 (a mistake I also made recently).

Other Contenders

Rise Against, Anti-Flag and 36 Crazyfists have all confirmed that they will appear at the festival (the former two toured together in the UK recently).

Numerous other bands are expected to appear, either due to festival tradition or mutterings from the band:

Placebo - The band have played in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2006, suggesting it's time for them to return with new album material.

The Offspring - After playing Download last year, the band will be fired up to play at Reading/Leeds, since their last outing was in 2004 as second from top on the main stage.

Franz Ferdinand - Headliners in 2006, the band have just released a new album and after a single appearance at Latitude Festival last year, the band will be eager to take on (collectively) the biggest festival site in the country.

Other possible bands

New Found Glory
The All-American Rejects
The Answer
Airbourne
Weezer
Maximo Park
Kaiser Chiefs
Lostprophets
The Charlatans
Alkaline Trio
Less Than Jake
The Living End

Of course there are many many many others, but I hope this has given you some sort of insight into what this years festivals might be like, bear in mind that this is all idle speculation and there is no official sourcing or confirmed information behind this, merely logic.

We only have a week or so to wait until we find out, make sure you're awake at 7pm on March 30, keep your eye on http://www.readingfestival.co.uk/