Doherty, Elbow and Cave for Oxegen

SINGER-SONGWRITER Pete Doherty will play the Oxegen music festival this summer.

Former Libertines and now Babyshambles singer Doherty is due to release his debut solo album Grace/Wastelandsnext month.

Other acts, which will be confirmed today for the festival, include Mercury Music Prize winners Elbow, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Razorlight, The Ting Tings and London indie-rock outfit White Lies, who topped the UK album charts last month with their debut To Lose My Life.

Doherty appeared in front of a capacity crowd at Trinity College Dublin last Friday in a public interview conducted by Hot Pressmagazine's Stuart Clark.

He followed that up with an interview on the Late Late Showin which he grew visibly irritated with Pat Kenny's line of questioning about his drug problem, and where Kenny admitted that he did not know any of his songs.

Though he is better known for his drug habit and for his former relationship with supermodel Kate Moss, Doherty's fans are hoping that Grace/Wastelands will rehabilitate his reputation as a songwriter judging by the favourable reaction to the first release from the album, The Last of the English Roses. Doherty played the song on the Late Late Showlast Friday.

Elbowwon the Mercury Music Prize for their album Seldom SeenKid last year. Veteran singer-songwriter Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds also released a well-received album, Dig, Lazarus, Dig, in 2008.

The Ting Tings packed out the Green Room at the festival last year.

Also confirmed for Oxegen is up-and-coming Irish act Fight Like Apes which has been nominated for three Meteor music awards and the Choice Music Prize award for their debut album, Fight Like Apesand the Mystery of the Golden Medallion. It will be their second appearance at the festival.

Acts already announced for the festival, which takes place July 10th to 12th at Punchestown racecourse in Co Kildare, are headliners Blur, Kings of Leon and Snow Patrol, along with Bloc Party, Katy Perry and The Script.