And so the big day finally arrives - the single biggest live music event in Oxford’s history as Radiohead make their big homecoming. With all the other stuff about them in this issue we shan’t dwell too long on their merits, other than to say it really is astonishing to think that the most influential band on the planet are from Oxford and started life just the same as every other bunch of young hopefuls in town - playing to a few mates in assorted local pub venues. All it takes is a heady mix of determination and inspiration and the possibilities are endless.

But what else can you expect from your day out in South Park? The supporting cast is impressive enough in its own right, providing a snapshot of the best that Oxford has to offer as well as Radiohead’s own personal preferences.

That Beck is coming to town is an event in itself. Over the past few years we’ve heard about “The new Beck” on such a regular basis that it’s ceased to be interesting but the man himself remains untouchable in the style fusion stakes. From the inspired `MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack’ through to his place as an MTV star himself via a clutch of classic albums, notably `Odelay’ and `Midnite Vultures’, Beck Hanson remains irrepressibly cool. Today’s solo set should find him in more simplistic and mellow mood than usual but his innate musical stubbornness means there’s bound to be some surprises in store.

Easy to forget that Supergrass too are no small potatoes in the pop world. They’ve done more than their fair share of putting Oxford on the world music map, rising from the dope-smoking teenage punk-pop whippersnappers of ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ to family favourites with ‘Alright’, the ‘Grass have outlived most of their Britpop contemporaries with an ability to mutate and survive.

And talking of mutation, Iceland’s Sigur Ros seem to be on a mission to take pop to its ethereal vanishing point as last year’s minimalist classic ‘Ágætis byrjun’ proved. Like all the best bands they’re not afraid to leave plenty of spaces between the notes, or use cellos a lot. They supported Radiohead on tour last year, one of the early signs that Radiohead were moving in an even more left-field direction. Hopefully their very intimate, ice-cool classical delicacy will stand the heat of the open air arena.

Equally compelling in such an atmosphere should be Humphrey Littleton. The name of Humphrey Littleton probably meant about as much to young rock fans as Glenn Miller until he stepped in to help Radiohead out of a sticky patch on ‘Amnesiac’. An absolute legend in the world of jazz and about as far away from the stuffy world of indie rock as you’re likely to get at a festival this year.

And of course today’s event has given two of Oxford’s best newer bands the chance to play in front of the biggest crowd of their young lives. The Rock of Travolta and Hester Thrale fully deserve their chance. TROT have exploded onto the scene in the last eight months with a concrete-melting fusion of avant-rock experimentation and full-on noise. Two bass guitars, cello, trumpet, analogue synths and not a singer in sight, they’ve single-handedly made post-rock sound sexy, and with a publishing deal with Rough Trade just signed and labels clammering for their signatures they seem destined for greatness.

Hester Thrale started off life as The Full Monty some three years ago before a line-up shuffle and a radical departure in sound found them a starring role in the new wave of local bands. Influenced by Radiohead’s sense of adventureas much as their sound, and owing much to the likes of The Beatles, The Doors, Pink Floyd and The Human League, they’ve just signed a deal with DB Records and are currently shacked up readying themselves for their debut album. Another name change is apparently on the cards but with any luck they’ll be a band who stick in people’s minds after today.

So there you go - as long as the weather is kind today is going to be a monumental moment in local history. It’s the day the local heroes came home, but more than that it’s the start of an even more exciting time in Oxford music.