V Festival to revisit Madchester sounds

The heady days of 'Madchester' are set to be revisited at this summer's V Festival with performances by The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays.

Ian Brown's seminal rock act – who fell apart in 1996 and announced their hotly-anticipated reunion last October – will join US stars The Killers to headline the event, which runs across two days at Weston Park, near Shifnal, and Hylands Park, in Chelmsford, on August 18 and 19.

Salford act Happy Mondays, fronted by Shaun Ryder, are also on the bill along with Noel Gallagher – a fellow Mancunian who was inspired by the Roses – and Tom Jones.

Organisers of the festival today promised their biggest and best event ever as they announced a star-studded line-up of acts, improved facilities for fans, dozens of breakthrough acts and more besides.

Festival co-ordinator Dawn Woodhouse also vowed V would be the best neighbour possible. She said the festival would work with Weston Park, police and residents' groups to minimise disruption for locals.

She said: "We want fans to have a brilliant time and it's a great line-up. We're also aware of our responsibilities to our neighbours, we take that very seriously."

Festival director Bob Angus urged people not to be conned by rogue websites that take money from unsuspecting fans, then fail to deliver tickets.

He said: "As in previous years, we want to emphasise how important it is for fans to buy their tickets from official outlets listed on www.vfestival.com. That will ensure they don't miss out on what promises to be the hottest ticket this summer."

This year's event will feature glamorous V Style camping where hundreds of fans can watch the live action before relaxing in ready-built pod pads, cloud yurts, hearthworks tipis, and pop-up hotel rooms.

This area proved so popular last year that it is being doubled in size.