Reading and Leeds festival: Catfish and the Bottlemen to headline

BBC Catfish and the Bottlemen performing on stageBBC
Fans had been wondering if Catfish and the Bottlemen had split

Catfish and the Bottlemen have announced they will headline the Reading and Leeds festival next summer.

It marks a surprise comeback for the Llandudno rock band, after departing members and cancelled gigs left fans wondering if they had split.

Guitarist Johnny Bond called the band "dysfunctional" and "intolerable" when he quit in 2021.

They pulled out of supporting Stereophonics and Tom Jones in Cardiff in December after "unforeseen issues".

The band were named best British breakthrough act at the 2016 Brit Awards and reached number one in the UK with their second album, The Ride.

Their third, The Balance, reached number two in the UK.

Getty Images Johnny Bond, ex-Catfish band member performs at Citadel Festival at Gunnersbury Park on July 14, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Burak Cingi/Redferns)Getty Images
Former guitarist Johnny Bond said relationships in the band had become "entirely dysfunctional"

On their Instagram post, the band simply said: "READING AND LEEDS HEADLINING. See you all in August".

Excited fans replied that they had thought the band was finished.

"Oh my God are you back?!" said one, while another posted: "I never thought this day would come."

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