Around 150,000 fans will stream through the gates over the two days, enjoying headline acts The Who and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Other big-name bands on the bill include the returning Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand, plus record-breaking newcomers Arctic Monkeys.

Whether you’re camped at the main stage, checking out unsung gems on the smaller stages, or slumped in an inflatable chair after a few too many of the sponsors’ product, it’s always a weekend to remember.

Last year it was the Magic Numbers who provided a surprise highlight. Here GrapeVine speaks to two bands who could well claim that title this time around.

Not least because the thronging crowds and international appeal of the Balado event couldn’t be further removed from their “festival” debut.

“The first one we played, if you could call it a festival, was a ramshackle thing in Sheffield,” recalled founder member Louis Carnall.

“I don’t know who booked it, but we played it anyway. We had a group of 12 and 13-year-old cheerleaders opening for us, on the grass in front of the stage.

“We were playing out of a lorry and it kept moving all the time. I don’t even know if anyone was watching us but we thought it was so hilarious, we laughed all the way through it.”

The Milburn story is full of such moments — their first gig was a 40th birthday party at a Sheffield town hall, where the DJ was the same bloke who robbed the local shop with a waterpistol.

Observational humour is, perhaps inevitably, prominent in their lyrics, including tales of fake poseurs (Showroom), hostage situations (Send In The Boys) and the mysteries of the fairer sex (Storm In A Teacup).

Sound-wise they’ve been compared with The Jam, Razorlight and inevitably Arctic Monkeys, but recording sessions for their debut album revealed heavier influences too.

“The album has just been mastered in New York and it’s ready to go,” revealed Louis. “There’s just a few things to sort out, including a title — which is pretty essential I suppose!

“We are planning for a release in late September, and although the delay is a bit frustrating, I can see why it has to be like that.

“When we first started out I thought you could just record an album and put it out a couple of weeks later, but there are bits and bobs that take up a lot of time.

“The album is probably heavier than I thought we were. We played it all live, so it’s not as if it has been over-produced or anything, it’s just us.”

The 20-year-old vocalist and guitarist said he “can’t wait” to sample the atmosphere of Scotland’s biggest festival.

“With playing T in the Park at the start of the summer and Reading and Leeds in August, the timing is pretty good because it should boost sales a bit,” he added.

“I’ve never been to T in the Park myself but I’ve heard from people I know that it’s one of the best for atmosphere. Festivals are usually friendly anyway — but it’s meant to be extra-friendly there.”

Milburn are on the Futures stage at TITP on Sunday, alongside the likes of Boy Kill Boy, The Automatic and Scots hopefuls The Fratellis.

Swedish-Argentinian singer of the moment Jose teamed up with the English electronica duo on their third album, The Garden, earlier this year.

The results were stunning — and perfectly timed too, with Jose’s solo work booming out of every stereo and soundtracking half the adverts on TV since the start of the year.

The good news is that both Jose and fellow contributor Sia Furler will be providing live vocals for Zero 7 at T in the Park this weekend.

“We’ve totally cashed in with Jose,” laughed the band’s Henry Binns. “I’m not trying to big myself up but we knew all about Jose before he enjoyed all this success.

“We have been very fortunate though, and it has been brilliant having him. His voice is so haunting, it’s like a reed instrument or something.

“We’re very lucky that we have got both Sia and Jose on tour with us, and they will be at T in the Park.”

Despite their work frequently coming with the “soundtrack to the summer” tag, Zero 7 will be making their debut at the 13th incarnation of the leading Scottish festival.

“It’s just one that has slipped past, so we’re really looking forward to it this time around,” continued Henry.

“I really enjoy the whole festival thing though, and I’ve even moved to Glastonbury. It’s great just to rock up and play.

“I think and hope that it’s different live from on the album. We spent a long time in rehearsal, and the songs have really progressed from when we recorded them.

“In fact, there are a few things that we wish we had done in the studio, but c’est la vie.”

Henry and Zero 7 team-mate Sam Hardaker recently completed a small-scale UK tour which they described as a “lot of fun.”

“There’s a lot of stuff going on in our set, there’s a lot of electronic and things like that, which is cool and interesting, but it means we can’t just plug in and go,” added Henry.

“It’s not conducive to the festival thing in the sense that everything is done in a hurry normally, but we think it’s worth it.”

Both Zero 7 and Jose Gonzalez play the 8000-capacity Pet Sounds Arena at T in the Park on Sunday.