Music festivals have been a British summer staple since a group of hippies first met in Glastonbury in 1970 and this year many of the festival greats are touring again, offering fans a chance to see their favourite bands in this most exhilarating of settings. Such which classic acts are back?

V Festival   

Held at two English parks simultaneously, a notion inspired by Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker, the V Festival takes place on the penultimate weekend in August and this year welcomes a host of classic bands.

Punk rockers The Stranglers, known for era-defining tracks such as ‘Golden Brown’, ‘Strange Little Girl’ and ‘Peaches’, have played to fans old and new at festivals including as T in the Park, Glastonbury and Oxegen over recent years and this year add V to their busy schedule. Madness also continue to bring in the crowds with their catchy pop and up-beat ska – who doesn’t know that dance.

But one band that many thought we’d never see perform again are The Stone Roses. Famous for spearheading what was to become know as the ‘Madchester’ scene, Ian, John, Mani and Reni found success in the late 1980s with hypnotic guitar hits such as ‘She Bangs the Drums’, ‘Waterfall’ and ‘Fools Gold’. Shock news of their reformation hit headlines last year, delighting fans and leading tickets for their summer shows to sell out within hours.

Leeds and Reading Festival

These two festivals also come as a pair, taking place over a bank holiday weekend in August and generally sharing the same bill. Exploring different music genres, Reading is one of the world’s oldest pop music festivals and this year plays host to original goth and post-punk legends The Cure.

Breathing new life into the ever-evolving punk genre, At the Drive In formed in Texas in 1993 and released three albums before taking a hiatus in 2001 – their come-back performances at Leeds and Reading are also highly anticipated this summer.

Which vintage bands are you looking forward to seeing during the festival season?

This post is sponsored by www.getmein.com.

Images, top to bottom, by Flickr users wonka and simonsmith001.