Live Music Preview: iTunes Festival @ Roundhouse

The month-long free gig jamboree that is the iTunes Festival rolls back into Camden in a few weeks. And, as expected, there's a pretty impressive line-up to match The Roundhouse which is, we're sure you'd agree, a pretty impressive venue.

Most of the 31 nights have been announced, and there are some big names on the bill. Scissor Sisters, Faithless and Goldfrapp will be big draws, but The Futureheads, The XX and Foals are all tip-top live too.Don't disregard the support acts either. Many are good enough to headline in their own right. We'd totally go and see Mumford and Sons just for the chance to hear a bit of Laura Marling supporting - and if The National aren't enough of a draw alone, they'll be preceded by the fabulous Stornoway. (If you haven't heard of them yet, you soon will.)Ok, so it's not all good news. This festival has grown year-on-year and competition for tickets this time round is likely to be fiercer than ever.What's more, if previous experience is anything to go by, these gigs might be a bit hit and miss. Last year Franz Ferdinand really impressed, but Graham Coxon's subtle songs were lost in the chatter of a crowd who just wanted him to play Song 2. That's what happens when the audience is a random selection of competition winners.It would be churlish to make a big thing of these minor gripes though. In essence, this is the chance to see bands you like, in a stunning venue, for free. What's to argue with?You can enter every week to win tickets to the iTunes Festival on Facebook. And for the best chance of winning you'll want to put your name down here too. (Image: Romy Madley Croft from The XX / Dale Harvey under a Creative Commons Attribution licence.)