Bad karma for Glastonbury as Orbital's finale is upstaged

It was no great surprise yesterday when a howl of controversy greeted the unveiling of the line-up for this year's Glastonbury Festival.

It was no great surprise yesterday when a howl of controversy greeted the unveiling of the line-up for this year's Glastonbury Festival.

The chief complainants were the fans of the electronic group Orbital who were outraged that their favourites had been denied the main stage for their last performance at Glastonbury.

Instead, the rock band Muse have been given the prestigious task of signing off the festival from the main Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night, a role that falls to Oasis and Sir Paul McCartney on the previous two evenings.

Orbital have become one of the favourite acts at "Glasto" and their supporters have drawn up a petition calling on the festival organiser Michael Eavis to change his mind and switch them to the Pyramid stage.

"We, the following are shocked that the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival have booked Orbital to play on the second stage this year," the petition says. "Orbital are one of the bands that have made Glastonbury great over the years and we feel that, as they have decided to do their last ever gig at the festival this year, the least they deserve is to play the Pyramid Stage. Anything else just wouldn't be on." Orbital, comprised of brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, announced earlier this year that they would split up this summer after 15 years working together and seven albums. Having emerged from the rave scene in 1990, they became famed for their live performances and their 1994 appearance at Glastonbury was named by Q magazine as one of the top 50 gigs of all time.

This year's three-day festivalstarts on 25 June. Among other stars booked this year are James Brown, Morrissey and Kings of Leon. But many expect the highlight to be a performance of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries by the English National Opera.