With a line-up stronger than Samson's sphincter muscle, this year's Big Day Out at the Castlegar Sportsgrounds on Saturday July 11th promises to be the highlight of not only the Galway Arts Festival, but of the 1998 live music calendar in general.

One wouldn't have thought it possible to top the success of the 1997 bill, which boasted Sinéad O'Connor, Ocean Colour Scene, Dr. John and the Alabama 3, but the excellence of this year's outing can be measured by the quality of even the lowest acts on the bill. What's on offer is a feast of contemporary music of the kind that discerning fans will talk about for years to come . . .

JUNKSTER

This Dublin act might only be pups in terms of chart milage, but they're no strangers to hard work. With an accomplished debut album under their belts, Junkster have honed their live skills through extended bouts of touring in the America, which has resulted in them garnering a formidable fanbase in, of all states, Texas. No surprise then, that the band's 'Slider' was a huge success in the US dance charts. And with songs like the glittering 'The Only One' in their canon, the quintet, who possess a capable and confident frontwoman in the form of Deirdre O'Neill, should have no problem getting the early arrivals on the day well and truly warmed up.

CORNERSHOP

It's certainly been a weird trip for Tjinder Singh and chums. From itchy, scratchy punk pariahs to chief expressionists of the post-colonial Asian condition in half-a-dozen years is a quantum leap of faith in anyone's language. After steadily building a profile in the US, where the band's exotic stew of eastern instrumentation, tranced-out improvisation and unimpeachably strong songs made them the invisible exiles of the Brit scene, Cornershop finally broke through at home, with a number one hit via Fatboy Slim's manic remix of the classic single, 'Brimful Of Asha'.

This chart action subsequently hefted the acclaimed When I Was Born For The 7th Time album back into the charts. Tamboura player Ben Ayres describes that record's sound as the result of listening to artists as diverse as the Velvets, Jonathan Richman, Curtis Mayfield, Scientist and many others. On the day, live favourites such as 'Good Ship' should make for a mighty fine hour in the sun.

IAN BROWN

Ian Brown is no stranger to domestic festival-goers, having made his Irish debut a mere three years ago, playing his part in the last days of the Stone Roses in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. But Brown, earmarked by many as that band's weakest point, eventually came out of that debacle with honour intact, going on to trounce his erstwhile comrade John Squire in the credibility stakes. While The Seahorses have pursued a competent, but hardly distinguished career, Brown has garnered all the garlands, largely on the back of his highly regarded solo debut Unfinished Monkey Business. With players the calibre of latter-day Roses guitarist Aziz in the live band, plus a plethora of songs as strong as 'My Star', 'Corpses' and 'Can't See Me' on board, Brown looks set to justify his myth in the flesh.

GARBAGE

Amidst the litres of ink used trying to quantify the properties that make Garbage great, it's easy to forget that they are, at heart, a wonderful pop group. And in a festival situation, when fatigue sets in and overindulgence takes its toll, it's strong songs that lift the spirits, something Garbage have in abundance. They are that rare thing: an album band who make great singles. Boasting a live set studded with jewels like 'Vow', 'Queer', 'Stupid Girl' and 'Supervixen', plus 'Push It', and 'I Think I'm Paranoid' from their excellent second album Version 2.0, the Wisconsin/Glasgow quartet's set should be one of the strongest of the day. And while Butch, Duke and Steve might be no oil paintings, Shirley Manson, an obscure object of desire for all sexes, has more than enough stage presence to keep a large audience rivetted.

BEASTIE BOYS

Just how the bratty but brilliant B-Boy punks of Licenced To Ill became the almost suave street-style icons of Ill Communication is anybody's guess, but it's reasonably safe to assume that a musical education had something to do with it. Certainly the subtle shapes of their second album Paul's Boutique shocked a lot of people, who initially took the Beastie Boys for artless hooligans. Since then the band have continuously pushed back the boundaries of their sound until their live set is now one long, intoxicating brew of phat rap beats, scratch 'n' sniff skate-rat attitude, prime dub grooves and snazzy jazz. And, with a sprawling 22 track album Hello Nasty (featuring guests the calibre of Lee "Scratch" Perry) due soon, the Boys' live show should be brimming with even more piss and vinegar. If this year's model is half as good as the all-star revue that toured Ill Communication, we're onto a winner.

PULP

Although at first they may seem like an unlikely festival band, on reflection, one can easily see why Pulp should headline this year's Big Day Out with ease. It was the band's famous last-minute deputising for The Stone Roses at Glastonbury in 1995 that signalled their arrival into the big league, and Different Class was an epochal English album, chock-full of made-for-stadium anthems like 'Mis-Shapes', 'Common People', 'Disco 2000' and of course, 'Sorted For E's And Whizz'.

This year's This Is Hardcore album however, has seen Jarvis Cocker probe the darkest, clammiest recesses of his own psyche. "It wasn't that we wanted to show we're really strange," he commented recently. "We just wanted to set ourselves a bit of a challenge - not to bland out and take the safe route, which often happens with successful bands." Certainly, as the group's recent appearance on Later With Jools Holland suggested, songs like 'The Fear' and the title tune should greatly benefit from their transition to the big stage. And Jarvis, geek God that he is, will have the thousands eating from his sweaty palms. n

• The Big Day Out takes place at the Castlegar Sportsgrounds in Galway on Saturday July 11th. Gates open 1.30pm. Booking 1890-566577 or 01-4569569.