Who not to miss out on at Reading/Leeds this year

My top acts who everyone should try to see
Friday (L)/Sunday (R)
Death From Above 1979 - Harsh Canadian dance-punk. If they get the crowd that they deserve, it promises to be a truly memorable show. Reunited this year, it is safe to say that the NME tent will 'go off' during DFA, especially with Elbow and Sheeran not offering anywhere near as much energy in their sets. [clashes with Elbow, Ed Sheeran] Myspace

R O M A N C E - opening the Festival Republic stage, the new wave post-punkers will probably rise up through the stages in coming years. Coming from London (and not to be confused with the Seattle group), they are a throwback to the original post-punk movement of the late 1970s in the UK. And who knows, they may spark a revival of their own, check them out if you're awake [clashes with nobody] Myspace

Flats - following R O M A N C E, Flats have surprised me. Off the back of the NME Radar Tour with The Joy Formidable and Chapel Club, they haven't been thrust into the spotlight as many before them have done. Regardless, the modern noise-punk outfit are still raw and will give it everything if you catch them on the Festival Republic stage. [clashes with Dananananaykroyd] Myspace

Best Coast - Beth Cosentino is becoming a cult hero, if such a thing exists in the surf pop sub-genre. With Drew Barrymore-directed new single Our Deal, Cosentino and the rest of Best Coast are enjoying a revitalized period following them bursting onto the scene with album Crazy For You last year. NME stage in the early afternoon [clashes with Frank Turner/The View, Dutch Uncles] Myspace

Saturday (L)/Friday (R)
Foster The People - We've all heard Pumped Up Kicks by now. If you haven't, then you should probably get out from behind that rock you were hiding under. Danceable, light-hearted indie pop. Helena Beat and Pumped Up Kicks will be excellent set-closers, but the rest of the album is worth a listen too. On the Festival Republic stage [clashes with Patrick Wolf, Devlin] Myspace

The Computers - Supporting The Subways on their upcoming UK tour, these guys are excellent and I did a piece on them a couple of months ago (here). Hardishcore punk-rock on the Festival Republic stage. [clashes with Miles Kane, Cold Cave] Myspace

White Denim - criminally underplayed bluesy indie rock. If you haven't heard them before, prepare to fall in love with a band whose recent album D sounds like The Rolling Stones met up with Cold War Kids and just started jamming together on the Festival Republic stage [clashes with Nero, Offspring, Noah & The Whale/Vaccines] Myspace

Sunday (L)/Saturday (R)
Yuck - stepping up from their slot on the Festival Republic stage last year, the internationally-based noise-rockers are playing the NME stage early. Strong grunge and shoegaze influences are noticeable and their debut self-titled album will definitely make most end-of-year Best Of 2011 lists. [clashes with Pigeon Detectives, Young The Giant] Myspace

The Strokes - Their isn't much buzz around Main stage headliners The Strokes. Their new album Angles has sparked a quiet return to indie stardom for Casablancas and co., despite having understandably high pressure to come back with an album to blow Is This It out of the water. It is an understated album, and their headlining performance promises to be one of those special festival moments, with all the hits creating an almost-unbeatable setlist. [clashes with Midnight Beast, Jane's Addiction (Reading), Crystal Castles/Bombay Bicycle Club (Leeds)] Myspace

The Kills - After headlining the Festival Republic stage in 2008 and drawing a decent crowd, and after a good reception (on the most part) for their 2011 release Blood Pressures, Mosshart and Hince could, and probably should, be commanding a larger place on the line-up. Garage rock with intensity is what you will see if you choose to not see Madness on the main stage and head over to the NME tent to see the duo kill it. [clashes with Madness, Cults (?)] Myspace