TRNSMT bosses have been left defending the lack of female artists on this year’s much-anticipated line-up saying “there’s definitely more to come – they’re just not over the line yet”.

The Courteneers, Liam Gallagher, Ian Brown and Lewis Capaldi were all announced as the Glasgow Green festival’s main attractions, along with acts such as Foals, Snow Patrol and Sam Fender performing over the weekend.

However, fans aren’t happy that only two women – Rita Ora and Little Simz – are included in the 13 acts announced so far, something which many see as a step backwards.

Scottish artist Nina Nesbitt was among those to hit out.

She weighed into the criticism of the festival’s organiser, Geoff Ellis, posting on Twitter her frustration at the lack of representation of female artists at the weekend-long event and at Ellis’s reply to the situation.

She said: “This is really disappointing and I strongly disagree. There are SO many great female artists out there right now, more than ever.”

Nina has played TRNSMT in a solo slot and joined pal Lewis Capaldi on the main stage last year, as well as performing at Ellis’s previous festival venture, T In The Park.

“I am really grateful to Geoff for the opportunities he’s given me over the years but I can’t understand how he’s come to this conclusion,” she said.

As organiser and founder of the popular July festival, Ellis came under scrutiny last year for failing to properly represent female artists on the main stage, instead creating a new “Queen Tut’s” stage, designed specifically for female artists.

In a statement yesterday, Ellis said: “We’d love there to be a higher representation of females but there isn’t, certainly on the acts we’re announcing today, but it will be a while until there’s a 50/50 balance.

“That’s definitely several years ahead for any major festival to achieve because there’s far, far less female artists. We need to get more females picking up guitars, forming bands, playing in bands.”

The ex-T In The Park boss revealed that the “Queen Tut’s” stage would return, to give “that platform to help more females see that kind of opportunity”.

This has failed to convince fans that the organisers are doing all they can to champion female artists on the main stage.

Disgruntled fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration, including one user who said: “For a start, women do not need to start ‘picking up guitars’, as one can have a career without playing a guitar/being in a band. Glastonbury got close to a 50/50 split this year – why can’t TRNSMT?! There is an ocean of female talent out there...”

Festivals across Europe such as Glastonbury and Primavera Sound achieved an evenly gender-split lineup, with acts such as Robyn, Miley Cyrus and Kylie featuring on the main stages.

Ellis defended the line-up, saying: “It’s not just about booking more female acts because if there’s less of them then there’s less of them to go around all the festivals.”