Libertines, Guns 'n' Roses confirmed for Leeds Festival

And cult favourites The Libertines also confirmed they would play the twin-show event with Reading, after finally burying their differences.

The show by G N'R will be the first ever appearance at Reading, although the group - fronted by Axl Rose - did play Leeds in 2002.

The shows, lined up for the August Bank Holiday weekend, will be the band's only UK festival appearances of the year.

Although Rose has continued to perform with a varying line-up, he had not released an album for more than a decade until last year's long-heralded return Chinese Democracy.

It is the Libertines reunion which will probably be more keenly anticipated by many festival-goers, as frontmen Pete Doherty and Carl Barat agreed to perform together once more.

The quartet fell apart in 2004 when Barat fell out with his joint frontman because of Doherty's wayward behaviour as he battled with drug problems.

The Libertines continue to have a fascination for fans and their 2002 debut album, Up The Bracket, was named the best British album of the past decade in a survey of musicians and music industry bigwigs by music magazine NME.

Doherty, who has often been in trouble with police over his drug use, claimed in an interview the band had been offered a chance to play at Reading and Leeds Festivals last year.

The plan was eventually shelved, he said, because Barat was not happy with Doherty's "energy levels".

Doherty and Barat will be joined by bassist John Hassall and drummer Gary Powell.

Arcade Fire have not played the UK since 2007 when they toured acclaimed second album Neon Bible. Their shows at Leeds and Reading will be their only festival slots over here.

Punk trio Blink 182, whose hits include All The Small Things, reformed last year and these will be the first UK dates since then.

Other big names set to play the long-standing festivals include Queens Of The Stone Age, Paramore and LCD Soundsystem.

Dizzee Rascal, Klaxons, Weezer and Limp Bizkit are also to play the events.

Tickets went on sale online and by telephone tonight and will be sold in person by a number of retailers from tomorrow.