They may come from opposite sides of the musical landscape but a reunited Rage Against the Machine and Crowded House are set to appear at the Coachella music festival.

The annual event, now in its eighth year, has previously showcased reunions of major acts like the Stooges and the Pixies.

The political, left-wing thrashers, who haven’t played together since 2000, are headlining the festival alongside American funk-rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and Icelandic chanteuse Bjork.

This year's Coachella is to take place on 27 to 29 April at Indio's Empire Polo Field, some 200km outside Los Angeles, and is to feature other acts like British sensations Arctic Monkeys, critically acclaimed Canadians Arcade Fire, Travis, Interpol, Sonic Youth, Kaiser Chiefs, Lily Allen, Willie Nelson — and, also joining the reunion bandwagon, regrouped Happy Mondays and Jesus and Mary Chain.

The Rage reunion is expected to be a once-off, according to Billboard.com. The band, which in 1999 headlined the first Coachella alongside Tool, broke up in 2000 after internal friction caused singer Zack de la Rocha to quit.

No long-term plans have been confirmed and De la Rocha's publicist said the singer would not comment on the reunion.

Since their split, the three remaining members of Rage Against The Machine teamed up with ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell to form Audioslave. They have recorded three albums, while De la Rocha has failed to release a solo CD, despite collaborating with Blackalicious, Saul Williams and DJ Shadow.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined Coachella in 2003, while Bjork played the festival in 2002. The eccentric Icelandic singer is expected to play songs from her next studio album, due in the second quarter of 2007, which has seen her collaborating with Antony and the Johnsons's singer and the producer Timbaland.

Australia's Crowded House will appear after reforming for the first time since their 1996 curtain call. The Coachella stop will form part of a tour to support a new studio album. Singer-guitarist Neil Finn and bassist Nick Seymour are currently seeking a replacement for drummer Paul Hester who committed suicide in 2005. Mark Hart, who joined the band in 1992, will be part of the tour.

Tickets for the festival, which also features the likes of Placebo, Jarvis Cocker, Rufus Wainwright, Damon Albarn's Good, the Bad and the Queen, the Klaxons, and Faithless, are to go on sale on Saturday.