Arctic Monkeys have accused V Festival officials of coaxing them to headline the event by using Rihanna as a sweetener.

The Sheffield rockers, who have just released their fourth studio album ‘Suck It And See,’ were initially excited by the prospect of taking the stage straight after the Barbadian pop star, only to be told by organisers that she had been moved to another stage.

“We were under the impression that we were playing after Rihanna,” says frontman Alex Turner in an interview with NME. “That was a draw. They duped us.”

Drummer Matt Helders explains the importance of who shares the stage with the band in more detail: “It’s always something we pick and think about wherever we go really. There’s only been a couple of times where we haven’t been able to pick or it hasn’t worked out. But that’s just because someone drops out and we end up with a stinker.”

He then jokingly adds, “They used her as bait!”

Maybe they had a duet in mind…?

V Festival is happening at Chelmsford and Gloucestershire in England on August 20 and 21, headlined by Arctic Monkeys for the first time, Eminem and Rihanna.

Music news supplied by Groupie Magazine