Which it may well be, but the Carling Weekender (the Reading and Leeds Festivals to you and me) still bestrides the festival season like a collosus. Whether it be the history of memorable moments (50 Cent being bottled, Kurt Cobain being wheeled onstage in a hospital smock, Muse's frankly astonishing lightshow), or the strength of the line-up, the thousands of people who will converge upon Little John's Farm in Reading and Branham Park in Leeds over the August Bank Holiday weekend will be treating it as the highlight of their year.

It may lack the atmosphere of a Glastonbury or a Latitude, or even the quirky appeal of a Secret Garden Party or End Of The Road, it may be impossible to move without being plagued by corporate sponsorship, and there may be only one type of lager allowed to be drunk all weekend, but the Carling Weekender still has something pretty special about it.

As ever, the Mean Fiddler organisers have put together another impressive line-up for 2007. While exciting names such as Muse or Pixies may be missing from the headliners, one of the beauties of the Carling Weekender is seeking out some of the names tucked just under the headlining acts.

In keeping with tradition, the main stage on this day is almost entirely given over to rock and metal acts. The big draw of the day is undoubtably Smashing Pumpkins, although some may say the excitement generated by their announcement has paled somewhat after hearing the rather underwhelming Zeitgiest album. Still, Billy Corgan is always good value, and just possibly the old favourites from the classic Siamise Dream and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness will be dusted off to roars of approval.

Nine Inch Nails, who would surely be headliners any other year, take up the supporting act - Trent Reznor's intense, apolcalyptic industrial rock will no doubt prove popular. Guaranteed to prove slightly more divisise are the pop/rock of lostprophets and Fall Out Boy - the 'is it emo?' debate rages on still. Meanwhile, Blink 182 off-shoot +44 have decided they'd rather stay in the studio then play the festival. Can't say they'll be missed...

If rock and metal fails to float your boat, then you may be best off hanging round the NME/Radio 1 tent. Here, Klaxons will be waving glow-sticks around and summoning the spirits of Nu-Rave as they headline, while the rather more restrained, if no less entertaining, LCD Soundsystem will have the entire tent jumping with the highlights of this year's Sound Of Silver.

In fact, the NME/Radio 1 Tent is pleasingly varied this year - as well as the usual guitar totin' suspects such as the excellent Maccabees and Hadouken!, we have Brazilian fun ahoy with CSS, glottal-stop rhyming aplenty with Jamie T and ethereal folky pixieness from Devendra Banhart, who has a new album to showcase. Not to mention California's Cold War Kids and the highly regarded electro-dance kids from Nottingham, Late Of The Pier.

The Carling Tent is where you'll find an eclectic mix of acts, ranging from the critically adored (the self-proclaimed 'best bar band in America', headliners The Hold Steady) to the 'I'm sure they should be on a bigger stage' acts (Kate Nash, continuing her apparent quest to play every festival this summer). It's also a good chance to catch some future big names on a stage where you can still see the whites of their eyes - previous early afternoon appearances in the Carling Tent have included The Subways and - most famously - Arctic Monkeys. So catch Manchester Orchestra, Frank Turner and especially Reverend And The Makers before they go stratospheric.

As per usual at Reading and Leeds, there's also the Unsigned Stage, the Lock Up Tent (more rock and metal, including New Found Glory, Dwarves and Against Me) and if you fancy a break from moshing you can always have a giggle in the Comedy Tent where some of the country's best stand-ups, such as Never Mind The Buzzcocks host Simon Amstell, are there to entertain.

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Saturday 25 August (Leeds)/Friday 24 August (Reading)

Perhaps the best tip on this day is to get there early to see the marvellous Pipettes, if you've somehow missed them over the last 18 months of tours, as they kick off proceedings on the Main Stage. Whether polka dots and hand-jives will have quite the same effect in the early afternoon in front of a field of hungover festival goers is perhaps a moot point. Nevertheless, Saturday at the Main Stage is 'stadium indie' day - the chance to catch all those bands who played the NME/Radio 1 Tent last year but in front of a much bigger crowd.

Razorlight are the day's headliners, and while Johnny Borrell remains one of the most divisive figures in modern music, there's no doubting that he does have some measure of star quality. While last year's rather disappointing self-titled album saw the band soften their edges to appeal to a mass audience, it did the job and anthems such as America and In The Morning will no doubt be sung along to with gusto. There'll also be the requisite teenage girls fainting as soon as Borrell decides to inevitably take his shirt off.

The supporting acts on the main stage include Kings of Leon, the Followill family plugging their third and best album, while New York's finest Joy Division fans Interpol will set about creating the most atmospheric and dramatic music of the weekend. Also to be seen on the main stage are Sheffield's Long Blondes, Beth Ditto and her Gossip chums, and, fresh from their rather bemusing appearance at Live Earth with Madonna, gypsy punks Gogol Bordello. Hardest working band of the day has to be Jimmy Eat World however - as well as their appearance on the main stage, they'll also be headlining the Lock Up tent later in the evening.

If you don't fancy a dose of Razorlight, then the NME/Radio 1 Tent will be offering Ash as an alternative. Back down to a trio, Tim Wheeler and company have pledged to just release download singles from now on, and their set is guaranteed to be full of the sparky punk-pop gems that made their name. There's also New York punk rockers Brand New, The Subways (hopefully previewing that long-awaited second album) and Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape Wear Cape Fly. If you're over 25, it's probably best to make an exit when it's time for The Horrors and Enter Shikari, or at least be prepared to feel quite extraordinarily old...

Over at the Carling Tent, headline duties are taken by The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr, plugging his solo album from earlier in the year, sparkly redhead Patrick Wolf, and London's very own Jack Penate will be showcasing those mind-boggling dance moves while giving a sneak preview of his forthcoming debut album.

Sunday 26 August (Leeds)/Saturday 25 August (Reading)

A good game to play during a festival is "I can't believe they're not headlining". Today is probably the best day to play this as the superlative Arcade Fire have the indignity of warming up for the crowd for Red Hot Chili Peppers, still plugging the rather bloated Stadium Arcadium album 18 months after its release. Still, get there in good time for the Canadians as they appear to be reaching new heights with each performance. If their Glastonbury appearance was anything to go by, the Leeds and Reading crowds are in for a treat.

The final day in Leeds sees a rather mixed bag on the main stage - from the sublime excellence of Bloc Party to the theatrical emo-rock of Panic! At The Disco. Blink 182 fans can also see former lead singer Tom DeLongue with his new U2 inspired band Angels And Airwaves, while The Shins should provide the perfect soundtrack for sitting back in the late summer sunshine (we hope).

The NME/Radio 1 Tent sees Scottish indie urchins The View headline, 12 months after packing out the Carling Tent. Be prepared for incessant chants of "The View are on fire" and, if you're in the middle of the moshpit, to be tossed around like a rag doll during Wasted Little DJs. They'll be more football chants of the "Yooooorkkkshireeee" variety as soon as Leeds boys The Pigeon Detectives take to the stage, while the more veteran grunge fans will be curious to see whether the original line-up of Dinosaur Jr can recreate the magic of the early '90s. Less palatably is the appearance of The Twang, Birmingham's baggy revivalists, who seem intent on recreating the days of Madchester but without any of the decent songs.

Over at the Carling Tent, there's the rollicking dance-rock of Canada's own Hot Hot Heat, the intriguing experimental post-rock of Battles - a potential weekend highlight - and the rather more traditional angsty pop-rock of The Academy Is.... Today is also notable for the Lock Up Tent changing to the Dance Arena, where all manner of electro acts will be appearing. James Lavelle's UNKLE headline (no word yet on whether any of their many guest vocalists will be accompanying them), the sheer fun of Norway's Datarock, raucous rap from Lethal Bizzle (will he find time to duet with Kate Nash on Look What You Done?) and intense German electro from Digitalism.

So, there really is something for everyone. Just pack those wellies and waterproofs - as one who was caught in the downpour during Muse's set last year, this writer can assure you that suffering from bronchial 'flu several weeks into September ain't no fun at all....

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The Carling Weekender 2007 takes place on 24-26 August 2007 at Little John's Farm, Reading and Branham Park, Leeds. Tickets cost £145 for the weekend or £62.50 per day and are available from See Tickets.