The 1975 to replace ‘friend’ Lewis Capaldi at Reading and Leeds festivals

The 1975 will perform a headline slot at this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, replacing their “friend” Lewis Capaldi.

The Scottish superstar was originally scheduled to appear at Reading on Saturday August 26 and Leeds the following day.

But shortly following his performance at Glastonbury last month, Capaldi announced he would be taking a break from touring “for the foreseeable future”.

The emotional singer had struggled through his set on the Pyramid Stage, assisted by the crowd, and later said he was “still learning to adjust to the impact of my Tourette’s”.

In a post on social media he thanked fans for their ongoing support and said the decision to halt touring had been “the most difficult decision of my life”.

The 1975 frontman Matt Healy recently paid tribute to Capaldi at a performance in Finsbury Park, London.

He said: “I want to send my sincerest thoughts to Lewis Capaldi who is a good friend of mine. Who on the day when he had to cancel his tour, checked in on me.

“And it’s also a reflection on how hard being a solo artist is as I would not be doing this show if I didn’t have these amazing men and women behind me.”

The 1975’s slot at Reading and Leeds will also celebrate the 10-year anniversary of their self-titled debut album The 1975.

In a rare and special performance, the band are expected to perform the album in full.

Monday’s announcement comes shortly after the band announced details of their biggest North American tour to date, Still … at their very best.

The tour will see them play arenas across North America and Canada throughout the autumn, including shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden and The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.