by Malcolm Curtis|April 17, 2012

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner, the musician otherwise known as Sting, is headlining Switzerland’s Paleo music festival this year.

The 60-year-old British rock star is making his first appearance at the annual festival, which runs from July 17 to 22 at Nyon in the canton of Vaud.

Sting, former lead singer and bassist The Police, is set to perform at Paleo on July 19, festival organizers announced on Tuesday.

Other top performers unveiled in the lineup for the event include The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, Manu Chao, Lenny Kravitz and David Guetta.

The festival, which first started in 1976, typically attracts around 230,000 people over six days with a mixture of artists covering genres that range from French folk and world music to electro.

Organizers regard attracting Sting to the event as something of a coup.

“Sting is among those we have always wanted to see in Nyon,” said Daniel Rosselat, founder of the festival and current mayor of the Vaud town, 25 kilometres northeast of Geneva.

In addition to international stars, Paleo is featuring 25 Swiss artists, including Stephan Eicher.

Overall, more than 200 artists are booked to appear at the festival, which features several stages and an area for camping.

Not everyone is thrilled by this year’s list of performers.

With the exception of Kravitz and Guetta, the rest of the offering consists of “has-beens,’ complained one Internet user on the website of the Tribune de Genève.

For more information, check the Paleo website.