Eminem (Reading - Saturday, Leeds - Sunday, Main Stage)  Though predominantly rock festivals, Reading and Leeds have always been keen to book big-name hip-hop acts. Duly, this year’s Saturday headliner is celebrated Detroit rapper Eminem, famed for his bristling flow and bullish rhymes. The 40-year-old star – who unveiled new single Survival earlier this month – concludes a short UK tour with this headline slot, ahead of the release of a new album later this year.  Nine Inch Nails (Leeds - Friday, Reading - Sunday, Main Stage)  Trent Reznor’s industrial metal act have been making absorbing, disquieting and occasionally downright scary music for 25 years. The double-Grammy winners may well be rock’s equivalent of marmite: their songs have reportedly been used by the US military as music torture against detainees, yet Johnny Cash managed to unearth heartbreaking beauty in their material with his cover of Hurt. Whatever your take, Nine Inch Nails sure to provide one of the most intriguing performances of the weekend.  Earlwolf (Reading - Saturday, Leeds - Sunday, Main Stage)  Alternative hip hop duo Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator (who comprise Earlwolf) come from the same Los Angeles rap collective, Odd Future, that helped kickstart Frank Ocean’s career. The pair have established themselves at the vanguard of a new generation of talented, smart rappers who dress like skateboarders and eschew traditional ghetto subject matter. Jazz piano samples and erudite verses set 19-year-old Sweatshirt in particular out as a star in the making.  Tame Impala (Reading - Saturday, Leeds - Sunday, NME/ BBC Radio 1 Stage)  Australian quintet Tame Impala mix sublime Beatles-esque psychedelic pop with funky wig-outs and moments of soulful groove. Their second album, Lonerism, was one of last year’s most lauded records, while they received rave reviews for their Glastonbury 2013 performance.  Tame Impala - Elephant on MUZU.TV.  Disclosure (Leeds - Friday, Reading - Sunday, NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage)  These Surrey brothers have been hailed in some quarters as saviours of British dance music. The production duo – 22-year-old Guy and 19-year-old Howard Lawrence – reached number one earlier this year with their impressive debut album, Settle, which welds together classic house and garage music sounds with more modern electronic textures. How their live show goes may depend on who turns up to help them – Settle featured eight collaborations from soulful young UK vocalists, including Jessie Ware and Sam Smith.  Haim (Leeds - Friday, Reading - Sunday, NME/BBC Radio 1 Stage)  This stylish and spirited sisterly pop-rock trio from California were deserved winners of the BBC Sound of 2013 poll. Live, their songs blend the dreamy melodicism of late-Seventies Fleetwood Mac with a rough-hewn, bluesy edge. Their early-evening tent slot offers the perfect chance to see them ahead of the release of their debut album next month – and before everyone else catches on.  HAIM - The Wire on MUZU.TV.  Ghostpoet (Reading - Saturday, Leeds - Sunday, NME/BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage)  British rapper/producer Obaro “Ghostpoet” Ejimiwe was nominated for the Mercury Prize for his debut album in 2011, and recently released its fine follow up, Some Say I So I Say Light. He’s a thinking man’s rapper, marrying sharp social observations to electronic beats, jazz figures and ghostly atmospherics – like a cross between The Streets and Gil Scott-Heron.  Charli XCX (Leeds - Friday, Reading - Sunday, NME/BBC Radio 1 Dance Stage)  Like Robyn or Lily Allen, Charlotte Emma Aitchison is one of those female solo singers who seems able to make effortlessly chic pop music. She recently secured her first number one, as a featured artist on Swedish duo Icona Pop’s I Love It – one of the songs of summer 2013. This, along with tracks of her debut album True Romance, should get the dance tent bouncing.  Denai Moore (Leeds - Friday, Reading - Sunday, BBC Introducing Stage)  A 19-year-old starlet who has already supported Tom Odell and Iron & Wine, East London singer-songwriter Denai Moore seems destined to have a big future. Her lush folk sound often recalls Bon Iver, but she also writes aching piano-led torch songs which sparkle thanks to her towering soul vocals.  The Strypes (Reading - Friday, Leeds - Saturday, Festival Republic Stage)  Are these Northern Irish wunderkinds the new Rolling Stones? Elton John and Noel Gallagher are already fans of the teenage quartet, and when our critic Neil McCormick saw them at Glastonbury in June he was bowled over, describing them as “schoolboys ready to take over the world”. They’ve got the rock’n’roll look, the musical chops, and – in songs like Blue Collar Jane – instantly gratifying rhythm and blues numbers that bands twice their age would be proud of. Get there early to avoid missing them.  Parquet Courts (Reading - Friday, Leeds - Saturday, Festival Republic Stage)  One of New York’s finest new punk bands in years, this impudent foursome craft catchy, pithy, offbeam tunes embellished with the kind of dry humour that makes Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers so tempting to drawl along to. If you’d like to get better acquainted with the quartet, listen to their much-admired debut album here, or check out the low-rent – but frequently hilarious – tour film they released earlier this year.
From Eminem and Green Day to The Strypes, Haim and Chari XCX, James Lachno   picks the bands and singers not to miss at this weekend's Reading and Leeds   festivals.