Top five: Leeds performances I plan to catch

Although this is only based on what has been announced so far and I'm looking forward to the rest of the line-up coming through.

1. Glasvegas. Only caught the end of Geraldine last year as was prannying around near the main stage, then missed their Nottingham gig through illness. Leeds 2009 will be the time and place I finally catch a full set.
2. Vampire Weekend. I think they are suited to the festival scene. Laid back happy vibes for a bit of a dance, pear cider in hand, as the sun shines (hopefully).
3. Deftones. A band on the line-up that my husband actually wants to see? He spends a lot of time following me between stages (bless him) so this year I will watch him disappear into the pit and hand him a beer as he returns. Unless it clashes with something I want to see and then good luck to him...
4. Radiohead. I really hope they put plenty of crowd pleasers in. With the right set they could be the best band I've seen headline the main stage. Although there aren't many contenders for that title.
5. The Courteeners. Why not? There will probably be lots of boys with indie hair and Ralph Lauren polo shirts around which sounds alright to me.

I deliberately haven't included Maximo Park or The Prodigy as I'll be seeing both of them before the summer anyway and that will undoubtably have an influence on whether I catch them at Leeds.
It's the Radio One stage and the little stages I am more interested in. Most of last year's top performances (for me) were in the Radio One / NME tent so I'm looking forward to heading back over there. And getting in on the cup collection money spinner as well!

Interesting (to me) to see that the line-up this year seems much more commercial. The traditional Friday night metal slot has gone to the Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead are now filling the slot usually reserved for back-in-the-day behemoths (previously The Pixies, Pearl Jam).
The ticket purchase was the most stressful yet - and took the longest too coming in at 2 hours 45 minutes before finally getting a purchase at the wonderful SEE Tickets. Could have been partly my fault for not making the magic coffee earlier but surprising none the less that all of the ticket partners crashed out online and couldn't even connect to either phone number.
Still, what does it matter, it's all irrelevant detail. Come 11am on Thursday 27 August 2009 I will be sat in my festival outfit in my tent doorway reading the latest issue of the NME. Good times...