U2 will make their first UK festival appearance since the early 1980s later when they headline Glastonbury

U2 will make their first UK festival appearance since the early 1980s later when they headline Glastonbury.

The Irish stars had been due to play last year but were forced to cancel after singer Bono injured his back.

Coldplay will headline the Pyramid Stage on Saturday. Beyonce follows in husband Jay-Z's footsteps on Sunday.

Emma Coupland, from Boston, Lincs, at a muddy Glastonbury with friend Holly Wilson, said: "As we're under 30, we don't really like U2."

Ms Wilson added: "They may play some of the old classic songs but we're not really excited about U2, and I haven't heard from anyone that is to be honest."

Rock veterans U2, who have interrupted a tour of the US to fly in for their performance, face protests during their set by a group who have accused the band of a "tax dodge" in Ireland.
But the band's manager Paul McGuinness has said the band is "fully compliant" with Irish tax rules and that U2 "is a global business and it pays taxes globally".

Beyonce, also making her festival debut, will be the first woman to headline the main Pyramid Stage - three years after Jay-Z became the first hip-hop artist to top the bill.

With the majority of the 170,000 ticket-holders now on site, performances on the main stages at the festival got under way.

Wet conditions have left the site in Somerset muddy, with predictions of more rain to come.
Trucks carrying large bales of hay have been laying down straw over some of the worst-affected areas.

Tom Dods, from London, said: "We arrived on Wednesday, it was pretty torrential.

"We did get a window to put up our tent but it was a bit of a grumpy start."

More rain is expected later and on Saturday but sunshine is forecast for Sunday.

Last year's event saw some of the hottest and driest conditions in Glastonbury's history.

Police made more than 30 arrests in the days leading up to the start of the festival, the majority drug related.