Indie legends The Lightning Seeds confirmed as headliners for Stockton Calling

The festival, now in its ninth year, will be held at nine venues around the town on Easter Saturday, 31 March.

The band, led by Iain Broudie, was originally a studio-based solo project, and their first single, Pure, made the Top 20 in 1989.

They went on to enjoy success with a string of others, including Lucky You, The Life Of Riley and You Showed Me.

Their biggest hit was the No.1 Three Lions, a collaboration with comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, which became the theme song for football's European Championships, held in England in 1996.

Jimmy Beck, co-organiser of the festival, said: “We’re absolutely delighted we have secured The Lightning Seeds for Stockton Calling.

"They’re one of our biggest headliners to date and bona fide indie legends. They have a ton of hits to play for us and it’s going to be very special.”

Co-organiser Paul Burns added: "Now that Christmas and New Year are behind us - and Easter eggs are appearing in the shops - it's only right that we remind our loyal Stockton Calling audience of how tickets always get snapped up well in advance of the day.

"The festival has sold out for the last seven years in a row and we expect it to sell out again.

"The Lightning Seeds are a bold statement on the quality of this year's line-up, so our advice at this stage is to buy your tickets early!"

Many more bands will be announced for the festival, which features 70 acts playing at various venues around the town in the course of just one day.

Previous headliners have included Cast, Reverend And The Makers, Public Service Broadcasting, Frankie & The Heartstrings, The Ordinary Boys, Pigeon Detectives and The View.

Advance tickets for this year's Stockton Calling are available, priced £22 (£25 on the day), from Stockton Arc and the Georgian Theatre.