Coldplay have been voted the best headline festival act of 2011 by 6Music listeners.

 

This summer saw the festival season come under increased scrutiny. High profile figures such as Michael Eavis cast doubt over whether the summer season could continue in its present format, with the calendar reaching saturation point.

 

Yet for fans, the choice has never been better. Cheap flights are placing more and more European festivals within touching distance, while the British season is packed with a varied array of live music events.

 

Casting their eye over the line ups for some of the country's biggest acts, 6Music decided to hold a poll to find the most popular headline act of 2011. Throwing the vote open to the public, the results are now in.

 

Playing headline slots at both Glastonbury and T In The Park, Coldplay have topped the poll over 20 other acts.

 

Coldplay previewed material from their new album at two of the country's biggest festivals, throwing in old classics to the delight of fans. Topping two of the largest events around, the band were a shoe in for first place.

 

Perhaps surprisingly, The National have come in second. The American group headlined Latitude, their first headline slot of note in this country. A stirring live act, the band have been rewarded with second place in the 6Music poll.

 

The National beat off competition from Muse - who came in third - and reformed Britpop giants Pulp. Bestival headliners The Cure were placed fifth after choosing to make their only European appearance of the year at Bestival.

 

Shaun Keaveny said of Coldplay’s winning performance: “To witness Coldplay at Glastonbury this year was like welcoming an old mate back to your local pub. Coldplay are as at home on the Pyramid Stage as any band on the planet - and effortlessly pounded the crowd into a euphoric singalong. New songs and old songs all flowed into one as the sun set on a glorious Glasto Saturday evening.”

 

The full list is as follows:

 

1 Coldplay (Glastonbury, T in the Park)

2 The National (Latitude)

3 Muse (Reading & Leeds)

4 Pulp (Reading & Leeds)

5 The Cure (Bestival)

6 Foo Fighters (Isle of Wight, T in the Park)

7 Beyonce (Glastonbury)

8 My Chemical Romance (Reading & Leeds)

9 U2 (Glastonbury)

10 Rodrigo Y Gabriella (Big Chill)

11 Arctic Monkeys (T In The Park, V Festival)

12 Eminem (V Festival)

13 Chemical Brothers (Big Chill, Isle of Wight)

14 The Strokes (Reading & Leeds)

15 Primal Scream (Bestival)

16 Björk (Bestival)

17 Kasabian (Isle of Wight)

18 Kings of Leon (Isle of Wight)

19 Suede (Latitude)

20 Kanye West (Big Chill)

21 Paolo Nutini (Latitude)

 

 

http://www.clashmusic.com/news/coldplay-voted-best-festival-headliner-2011

 

Edit:

Will is doing a live phone interview to discuss the win with Steve Lamacq on his 6 Music show today at around 5.30pm.

I added the phone interview to multimedia