Katy Perry has been pictured kissing Florence and the Machine guitarist Robert Ackroyd at the Coachella music festival.

The music artists have sent the rumour mill into overdrive after they were photographed at the California event locking lips and cuddling last night.

The images, published to various entertainment sites, show the two holding hands and being openly affectionate in the middle of crowds.

Katy was all smiles as she snuggled up to the musician and rested her head on his chest. She was also seen jumping on Robert and wrapping her arms around him.

The pair were first seen holding hands in the crowd as Katy's friend Rihanna performed with Calvin Harris a week ago.

Katy, who split from her husband Russell Brand last December, was overheard describing Robert as her boyfriend.

"Backstage at the Artist Lounge at Coachella last weekend, Katy kept saying her boyfriend was the guitar player for Florence + the Machine," a source told Life and Style magazine.

"She and a bunch of friends were supposed to go see Dr. Dre together, but Katy said she was waiting to watch her boyfriend perform."

The news comes after Katy reportedly axed Russell from her upcoming 3D movie Part of Me.

"There's loads of stuff in there that relates to her life with Russell and she's really not comfortable about it all going in," a source told The Sun.