Every year it seems there are more summer festivals than before. You get more choice, more unusual venues, more big name acts on the ticket. It has got to the stage that it is almost a full time job to keep track of who is playing and weed out the must-see acts from the maybes.

At tuneraker.com we think that five bands will emerge as the biggest festival bands this summer. There are loads more bands and artists who willl likely make an impact during the 2008 festival season (our original list counted 16 acts), but there are five that appear on most major bills and will appeal across the board and that’s what festivals are all about. Without further ado, here they are:

Top 5 Festival Bands 2008

1. Kings Of Leon - Heirs to the throne of Grunge stars Pearl Jam
2. REM - Jangly guitars, high anthem factor
3. The Zutons - Ready to rock you good
4. Rage Against The Machine - Heavy and back rallying for the underdogs
5. Spiritualized - Hands in the air indie anthems out of leftfield

Bands Touring New Material

 REM will tour their new album ’Accelerate’, which is a move ‘back to basics’ compared to its predecessor ‘Around The Sun’. The jangly guitar is firmly back to the front and there are enough rousing choruses to keep your hands in the air to keep your fellow revellers singing along. I guess it’s like going to your favourite restaurant and ordering your favourite dish: No surprises but every time it’s slightly different. To buy the album, please click here.

The Zutons will bring enough attitude and good old fashioned guitar riffs to get you dancing in the mud. I’m sure there’ll be general air guitar alert when they strike up the opening chords of their new single ‘Always Right Behind You’.

 ’What’s Your Problem’ is another great singalong moment all Springsteen style blue collar rock and ‘Freak’ is just a cool song. The Zutons play solid mainstream rock that will often make you wonder where you heard it before. But then, familiarity is part of having a good time at a festival. Get familiar with The Zuton’s ‘You Can Do Anything’ album here.

Spiritualized have been around for 18 years on the UK indie scene but are not really a household name. Their new material -  arguably their strongest to date - is therefore going to take a lot of festival goers by surprise. ‘Sweet Talk’ is a classic Verve style indie anthem while ‘I Gotta Fire’ and the first single ‘Soul On Fire’ are rousing boogie rock numbers that could come straight out of the Primal Scream camp.

Worth a trek through the mud to catch Jason Pierce and his Spiritualized lads, I’d say. To listen to samples or buy Spiritualized’s new album ‘Songs In A&E’, please see here. 

Bands Playing Old Favourites

Two of the biggest festival draws this year do not have new albums out. The Kings of Leon will tour their 2007 album ‘Because Of The Times’ and indie rock legends Rage Against The Machine got back together only last year after a seven year split.

 Kings Of Leon emerged five years ago from a Nashville, Tennessee, garage and have since toured with Pearl Jam, U2 and Bob Dylan. The band now easily holds its own on a festival stage compared with these stadium stars. Their sound has moved on from the Black Crowes style Southern boogie of their 2003 debut ‘Youth And Young Manhood’ to are more universal brand of indie rock which is not dissimilar to their recent tour mates Pearl Jam.

If you liked Grunge, you will love Kings tracks like ‘On Call’ or ‘Charmer’. Occasionally, they smooth out the edges and play mainstream stadium rock with ringing guitars just shy of U2. Accomplished performers, brothers Nathan, Caleb and Jared and cousin Matthew will sure raise some hell this summer. (Photo: Jo McCaughey)

 Rage Against The Machine where the hardest touring band in showbusiness in the late 1990’s. Their potent mix of heavy rock and outspoken anti-establishment stance comes across best in a live setting and the band has never shied away from an opportunity to reach out to new audiences. Can frontman Zack de la Rocha and his bandmates tap into the energy and inspiration of Rage’s golden years and pull off a fresh show on festival stages across Europe this summer? See for yourself. (Photo: David Atlas)