The 1975 will headline Reading and Leeds festivals after Rage Against The Machine pulled out over a medical issue involving their frontman.

The US rock band announced they were cancelling their European tour on Thursday after Zack de la Rocha, 52, was told by doctors he should not perform.

Their statement did not confirm the medical issue in question but the singer injured his leg while performing on stage in Chicago in July.

Reading and Leeds will now mark the first time The 1975 have been seen live in the UK since 2020.

The band – Matty Healy, George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald – last headlined the event in 2019.

Lead singer Healy teased the announcement on Instagram on Thursday by posting a clip from those shows.

Organisers described the outfit, who have four number one albums, as “one of the defining bands of their generation with their distinctive aesthetic, ardent fanbase and unique sonic approach”.

It comes as they prepare to release their fifth album Being Funny in a Foreign Language, which is scheduled for October 14.

Los Angeles rap metal band Rage Against The Machine became infamous in the UK for their 2009 Christmas number one campaign for Killing In The Name.

Arctic Monkeys and rapper Dave are headlining the other two days at the event, which takes place from August 26-28.