Reading and Leeds festival 2022 announce lineup with Arctic Monkeys, Dave and more

Photograph: Paras Griffin/Getty Images

Reading and Leeds festivals have announced their lineup for 2022.

Using two main stages at each site, the festivals will host six headliners: Dave, Arctic Monkeys, Rage Against the Machine, Megan Thee Stallion, Bring Me the Horizon and Halsey.

Also appearing further down the bill are Glass Animals, Wolf Alice, Polo G and more across the Gen Z-leaning pop, rock and rap lineup.

With Megan Thee Stallion and Halsey’s headline slots, plus female artists including Little Simz, PinkPantheress and Griff also appearing, the lineup goes some way to correct a bias towards male artists that has long been a feature of the festival. The last time a female artist or female-fronted group headlined was Paramore in 2014.

Rage Against the Machine had been due to headline in 2020 before the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. Arctic Monkeys’ appearance, joining a slate of previously announced festival slots in Europe, follows rumours that the band have quietly recorded a new album in Suffolk in recent months.

• Reading and Leeds 2022 takes place 26-28 August. Tickets go on sale from 10am on Friday 10 December.