By Tamara Roper

A lot has changed since the brains behind V Festival sat down and booked their performers. Sam Smith has become pretty much the most successful new artist on the planet, and Kiesza’s responsible for toe tapping her way into the hearts of any person who likes a dance beat. What this means is that the V line up is as skew-iff as your grandma’s wig, meaning that your favourite acts will be playing on smaller stages, and if you blink you’ll miss the mix of amazing talent and little-known acts at the bottom of the line up.

Here are a few you should definitely NOT think about missing, even if it does mean dancing with someone your dad’s age…

Jhene Aiko

Soulful American songbird Jhene Aiko has been lending her lyrics to the likes of Drake, Kanye and Lil Wayne for almost ten years. Now she’s taking the stage alone and her smooth jams will sound perfect if it’s sunny on the Arena stage. Take the person you’ve been eyeing up around the campsite and see what happens…

All Saints

It’s quite possible that you scanned past All Saints on the line up, distracted by the likes of Justin and The Killers. The sisters Appleton, Shaznay Lewis and Melanie Blatt will be performing early afternoon, so head down to the Arena stage for some lunch with a side of late nineties nostalgia.

Dan Croll

If you’re a little tired of pop music and dance routines, Dan Croll’s light-fingered electronica might appeal. Playing on the Futures Stage, his Metronomy-esque synth vibes will make you forget the promise of Ed Sheeran, if only for 45 minutes.

Jess Glynne

The voice behind Clean Bandit and Route 94’s number ones is fast forging a career for herself. V will be the perfect place to see Jess Glynne performing her own stuff, so check her out before she starts playing sell out gigs all over the shop.

Alan Carr

What? Alan Carr? How did he sneak onto the line up? Ah yes. It’s because V Festival has a comedy stage. It’s a fairly prominent part of the festival, but one that likely goes unnoticed due to the solid line-up of pop jams. Give laughing a chance with a healthy inflection of catty humour and gossip from the outside world.

Chic ft. Nile Rodgers

Bound to pull in one of the liveliest and most mixed crowds of the weekend, disco fanatics Chic featuring Nile Rodgers will be one to freak out to. Dress sparkly and prepare to boogie next to mums and granddads alike.

Hoodie Allen

A cross between Macklemore and Seth Cohen, Hoodie Allen is the rapper from Long Island who used to hold down a day job at Google, and pledged to call and thank every person who bought his EP. Intrigued? So are we. Go catch him on the Futures Stage before Birdy.

Childish Gambino

Known for his role in comedy series Community and hit single 3005, Childish Gambino is a rapper that the UK has only cottoned onto recently. His performance at V is one of his only UK festival dates, so Donald Glover (@donglover LOL) will no doubt be geared up to impress.

Janelle Monae

Ms. Monae embodies the difference between live performances and recordings. Channeling Michael Jackson, Prince and Erykah Badu all in one, watch her tear up the stage, suited, booted and fearless.

Lily Allen

Perhaps an obvious choice, but 2014 has been a media storm for Lily Allen, and it doesn’t look like she’s intending on stopping it anytime soon. Her show this summer has featured giant baby bottles, multiple outfit changes and a whole lot of sharp-tongued fury. Definitely not one to miss.