The countdown is on for the greatest celebration of rock in the land - Reading Festival

WITH the sun finally out, as well as the line-ups, thoughts are turning to the summer festival season. And none will fire the rock-lovers’ imagination quite as much as the daddy of them all - Reading.

Taking place just over the county boundary beside the River Thames, Reading Festival, and its sister event in Leeds, has cornered the market for rock, metal, punk and indie bands - many playing exclusively. Recently named Best Festival at the NME Awards, this year’s Reading Festival, which runs from August 23-25, is officially set to be better than ever.

2013 promises more stages, more bands and more entertainment, all coming together to form an incredible line-up with the biggest names in rock, indie, dance, alternative and hip-hop. Reading guarantees exclusive performances, huge headliners and rising stars and are the only place to spend the August Bank Holiday weekend with friends this summer.

The festival headliners for 2013 will be pop-punk pioneers Green Day, global rap icon Eminem and Best British Band NME Award winners Biffy Clyro. All three of the main stage headliners are UK festival exclusives; you won’t find them at any other UK festival this year.

Also confirmed to appear across the weekend are Nine Inch Nails, System Of A Down, Fall Out Boy, Jake Bugg, Frank Turner, Skrillex, Foals, Alt J, Chase & Status, Johnny Marr, Deftones, Sub Focus, Bastille, Bring Me The Horizon, Magnetic Man, Editors, Knife Party, Phoenix, Twin Atlantic, Hadouken!, Azealia Banks and many more.

So whether it’s a band you already love or one you’re dying to see for the first time, there’s something for every music fan on the bill.

“It’s certainly the most unpredictable festival you can do and I love that about it,” says Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump - whose new album Save Rock And Roll is out now.

“You never really know what you’re going to get in terms of that show, but everyone’s excited. There are a lot of good festivals in the world, but there’s a sense of urgency at Reading. When you step on stage it’s electric in every direction; so if you’re going to get booed it’ll be the worst booing you’ve ever had. If you’re going to get a good reaction, it won’t just be good, it’ll be the best one you’re ever going to get.”

More information and tickets at readingandleedsfestival.com