R.E.M are being lined up to headline the Sunday night of next summer's Glastonbury Festival (first mentioned in The Sun, and then confirmed by Michael Eavis to Radio 1). It's believed they'll be touring Europe at about that time promoting their new album, with the Festival falling in the middle of the tour.

Also very likely to play are Idlewild, Lamb and Suede, who all played at the Pilton Party this summer.

One of organiser Michael Eavis long-time targets to play - The Rolling Stones - are also rumoured to have agreed to play next year. It's thought the agreement was made before this years event, when Mick Jagger asked to play solo, but a slot couldn't be found for him (or perhaps aural taste prevailed?).

Michael Eavis has said in the past that he'd be happy to end the Festival after The Rolling Stones had appeared.

Michael Eavis has told Radio 1 that they'll be a big announcement - which we guess will be at least some of the line-up - on 1st March.


off festivals.co.uk

I was talking to Anders Friden from In Flames a week or so back in the Astoria in London.. I asked him (and then Jesper later on in the Garlic and Shots bar) if they were doing anything in the UK next summer.. The response from both was..

"Well we're not touring anyway but we've been talking/been talked to about doing a few festivals in the UK next summer"

Given the nature of the new album, the masses current tastes in music and the fact that they have already toured with Slipknot makes it seem that bit more likely than it would have been last year or the year before..