Download festival to rock Scots

Metallica: Rocking the world for more than 20 years

Two of the biggest rock bands in the world have been confirmed as the headline acts at a new festival in Glasgow this summer.

Metallica and Linkin Park will be the top names at the two-day Download Festival at Glasgow Green on 2-3 June.

Download Scotland is an extension of the rock event which began at Donington in Derbyshire last year.

Geoff Ellis, of joint promoter DF Concerts, said Download would become a "firm favourite" with Scots rock fans.

This year's Donington Park festival, which features the same headline acts as the Scottish event, will take place on Saturday 5 June and Sunday 6 June.

New breed

The new Scottish departure will run from 1630BST to 2230BST on the previous Wednesday and Thursday.

Rock superstars Metallica, the 7th biggest selling act in American recording history, will play on the Wednesday evening.

Linkin Park, one of the new breed of rock bands, will close the festival the next day.

Mr Ellis, whose company is also responsible for promoting the T in the Park music festival, added: "The addition of Download to this year's summer music is a testament to the huge, growing appetite that Scottish fans have for outdoor music events."

Donald MacLeod, the managing director of joint promoters CPL, said: "Download is the first dedicated rock event of its size this side of the border - a positive thing for Glasgow and for Scotland as a whole."