As good as Glastonbury

This year's V2 event will be bringing some of the finest live acts to Weston Park, Staffordshire, for the weekend.

Stereophonics and Travis headline the festival, which takes place on Saturday, August 17, and Sunday, August 18.

Primal Scream, Gomez, Starsailor, Counting Crowns, Kosheen, Beverley Knight, Basement Jaxx and Doves will be just some of the other acts supporting Stereophonics on Saturday.

And on Sunday, you can look forward to seeing Alanis Morrisette, Nickelback, Supergrass, Elvis Costello and The Chemical Brothers, among many others.

"We haven't played an English festival in nearly two years, so headlining V2002 will be a great way of finishing touring the JEEP album," says Stereophonic Kelly Jones, lead singer of a band which has shifted six million records in its three-album career and whose Just Enough Education to Perform long-player stayed in the charts for over a year.

It has also been two years since Travis performed their monster headline set at V2000, which saw the V masses taking to them as if they had been born to play there.

Since then they've had three huge albums - Good Feeling, The Man Who and, most recently, The Invisible Band - so expect the atmosphere to be even more excitable.

If tens of thousands of people aren't singing along word-perfect to such hits as Flowers in The Window, Sing, Why Does It Always Rain On Me and Driftwood, something will be very wrong indeed.

However, Travis and Stereophonics are just the highest-profile members of an awesomely eclectic line-up which runs the gamut of musical tastes from indie to rock to dance, and everything in between.

Just to confuse things, the V2002 festival, which is in its seventh year, is also taking place at Hylands Park, Essex.

Saturday's line-up at Weston Park will be playing Hylands Park on Sunday, and Sunday's line-up at Weston Park will be playing Hylands Park on Saturday.

It means that V2002 is two festivals on one weekend, where everyone gets to see all of the bands - as long as you spend the whole weekend there rather than buying a one-day pass.

Luckily, camping is available on site for that genuine festival experience.

Though the bill is already chock-full of big names, there could be more to come.

"We've still got a lot of acts to announce, but I'm proud to say that the line-up is already looking very satisfying," said Simon Moran, SJM Concerts festival director at Weston Park.

"We've got some major selling bands heading the bill, and some big talent of the future coming in earlier in the bill.

"It's great to see Ian Brown returning on the NME stage as his performance was such a huge success at V2001.

"What else can we say? We're very excited to be doing it again"

Let's just hope the British summer makes an appearance by August, or festival-goers will be treated to one other Glastonbury tradition they could do without - mud.

The full line-up for V2002 is as follows:

n Main Stage: Stereophonics, Travis, Primal Scream, Alanis Morissette, Gomez, Nickelback, Starsailor, Supergrass, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello, The Bluetones, Kosheen, Mull Historical Society, Beverley Knight, Ed Harcourt, Rhianna.

n NME Stage: Basement Jaxx, The Chemical Brothers, Doves, Ian Brown, SWR (Shaun Ryder), Beta Band, Elbow, Sigur Ros, The Coral, My Vitriol, The Donnas, Halo Seafood, Athlete, The Crescent, The Burn, Longview, Leaves.

n JJB Arena: Groove Armada, Badly Drawn Boy, Soft Cell, Turin Brakes, Lamb, Paul Heaton, Royksopp, Stereo MC's, Sugababes, McAlmont and Butler, Gemma Hayes, Damien Rice, Kid Galahad, Custom, Original Bedroom Rockers.

n Dance Arena: David Holmes, UNKLE Sounds Decks 'n' Effects, DJ Touche, Medicine, Pete Bromley, James Camm, Plump DJs, The Freestylers, Tayo, Pete Bromley, Dean Wilson (there will be a different Dance Arena line-up at Hylands).

Ticket prices are £39.50 for a one-day pass, £67.50 for a weekend pass, and £80.00 for a weekend pass with camping

The credit card hotline number: 0870 120 2002.

Tickets can also be bought via the web at www.gigsandtours.com