ROCK four-piece The Damned have withdrawn from Glastonbury Festival after members of their camp tested positive for Covid.

The band were due to headline the Field of Avalon stage at 11:05pm on Friday night but have been forced to cancel several shows in recent days because of the virus.

The Damned have been replaced on the line-up by REEF, a Glastonbury-based band who have performed at Worthy Farm on four previous occasions. 

The Field of Avalon stage organisers confirmed the news on social media. 

A spokesperson said: “With massive regret, The Damned have been forced to withdraw from Glastonbury due to Covid. We wish them well and look forward to welcoming them back to the Avalon Stage soon.

“We are delighted that REEF, one of the UK's best and most respected live acts, have stepped in to close the Friday night.

“To date, the band have sold in excess of three million albums worldwide. Reef's previous appearance on Avalon attracted the largest-ever audience for a Sunday evening.”

The Damned confirmed on Saturday, June 18 that a member of the band had tested positive for Covid so were unable to perform at New Waves Day Festival or fulfil a scheduled gig in Portsmouth. 

On Sunday, the band cancelled tonight's gig in Bournemouth but said they were “very hopeful” that Glastonbury “will go ahead as planned next weekend”.

There have since been more positive tests within the band's entourage, forcing them to pull out. 

They tweeted: “Further to our previous updates, there have been more positive Covid tests in The Damned camp and consequently we’re having to withdraw from all remaining June appearances including Bath, Glastonbury and the Die Artze show in Germany.

“Apologies to all the fans who were looking forward to seeing The Damned, we were looking forward to seeing you all too.”

Shortly after the announcement, REEF tweeted: “YES rockers! We're headlining The Avalon Stage at Glastonbury this Friday!”.

REEF have achieved two top 10 hits: Place Your Hands and Come Back Brighter.

The Field of Avalon stage will also features noughties acts Sugababes and McFly as well as The Hoosiers, Grace Petrie and The Dualers. 

Chemical Brothers have also been added to the Arcadia bill for Friday night (11pm until midnight).

A book documenting the history of the festival through the eyes of its performers is now available to buy online. 

Former County Gazette editor Paul Jones's book View From The Stage: 50 Years of Glastonbury by the People that Played has been described as a ‘brilliant collection of beautifully-written interviews’ by singer Beth Rowley. 

You can buy the book online for £6.50 (including UK P&P) HERE.