By Alan Wilson, Rocktalk writer.

MOST OF the major acts had been leaked several days before, but the organisers of Scotland’s biggest music festival still managed to spring a few surprises when the 15th T in the Park line-up was revealed yesterday.

As expected, The Verve, REM and Kings of Leon head up this year’s cast for Balado, however festival director Geoff Ellis and his team have gone back to the future with the announcement that American rap-punk rockers Rage Against The Machine return to where it all began in 1994 when they played the first T in the Park at its then base in Strathclyde Park.

They will headline the main stage on Saturday, July 12, their only Scottish gig of the year.

The list of seasoned acts continues with the likes of Counting Crows, The Charlatans, Alabama 3, Primal Scream, Shane McGowan and his rebel rousing Pogues, and Caribbean icon Eddie Grant.

They are joined by newer, breakthrough acts including The Kooks, Pigeon Detectives, The Enemy, Reverend and the Makers and The Courteeners, who Dundee music fans can see at Fat Sam’s in Dundee tonight.

The last 40,000 tickets go on sale at 9am today and unless there are some major technical glitches, it is a certainty they will be gone within minutes.

Desperate Dundonians have been camping outside in the cold for three days to ensure they get their hot tickets from Groucho’s when the shop opens today, and that has been mirrored across the country with lengthy queues outside other outlets.

This year the Balado campsite opens a day early to try to alleviate last year’s traffic problems.

By the Friday night, 60,000 fans will have converged on the famed arena when the entertainment starts around 6pm, with another 20,000 each day on Saturday and Sunday joining them to watch 180 artists playing across 11 stages.

The Verve will entertain campers on the main stage on Friday night, while REM arrive with their new material to close the main stage on Sunday night.

Just before them, Kings of Leon, who along with The Verve headline this year’s Glastonbury, are on Sunday’s main stage, while UK faves Kaiser Chiefs headline the Radio 1/NME Stage on Saturday night.

Scotland is well represented with The Fratellis, KT Tunstall, Biffy Clyro, Amy MacDonald, Sons and Daughters and Dundee’s The Law and Sergeant from Fife all playing.

Other big acts to play over the weekend include Stereophonics, The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers, Interpol, Ian Brown, Feeder, Panic At The Disco and Hot Chip.

Confirming the camp site will open on the Thursday this year to 20,000 campers, Geoff Ellis revealed the Radio 1/NME Stage will be open for the first time on Friday in addition to the main stage.

He also revealed, “There’s still a lot of big names to come. If we can pull off who we are talking to there will be some major, major acts to announce for our 15th birthday.”

Geoff said tens of thousands of pounds have been spent on improving the car parks, with proper tarmac roads and adjoining metal tracks to ensure there is no repeat of the muddy chaos that saw the car parks closed on the Friday night last year.

He said, “Last year there were huge, horrendous traffic problems, caused by increased security after the Glasgow Airport terrorist attack allied to the worst rainfall for 200 years, I’m told.”

He added, “This year we will have all the information coming in earlier and that will help us to respond quicker to any situation.”

Geoff urged fans not to buy tickets from the touts, who will no doubt have tickets up on internet auction sites within minutes of today’s sale.

He blamed the Westminster Government for the continuing practice of touting, adding they had left organisers impotent by their lack of action on the issue.

Those who already have or will be purchasing a weekend with camping ticket will be contacted by Ticketmaster to be offered the opportunity to upgrade their ticket to include camping from Thursday.

New this year, event and bus ticket packages will be available to buy simultaneously from Ticketmaster.

The option to purchase a bus ticket along with the event ticket will be available to those buying Weekend, and Weekend with Camping tickets.

There are four bus zones available to choose from; visit www.citylink.co.uk for further information.