A brutally hot Sydney day greeted 55,000 people as they made their way to the Showgrounds for what was the 99th Big Day Out show. As expected the dress code was plenty of skin, tiny denim shorts, bikinis and a lot of surf shorts and dodgy tattoos. If anything the BDO seems to attract a younger audience each year, as much there for the rite of passage experience as the music. Many were derisive of the 2010 lineup but the day proved that the organisers still know how to cater to the masses and put on a well organised event.

Over on the Essential Stage the opening honours went to Miami Horror who showed the firmly have both feet planted in the past, more specifically the mid 80s. They are pretty much a second rate synth band like Dead Or Alive masquerading as a guitar band. They had the confidence but not the songs and it felt like the second wave of synth drivel that was kicked off by bands like The Presets has begun to seep through.

Venturing over to the near empty Boiler Room (it was only 11.20am) I was impressed that the hall/pavilion they housed it in could accommodate a full size ferris wheel. Seekae were down the other end, ant-like until I finally reached the stage. They were creating sub sonic levels of bass and some lovely tripped out glitch-pop that was deserved of a larger audience.

The first trip to the Hot Produce stage was to catch the much hyped Danimals, back from a recording venture to the USA. In the few months since I last saw them at the Hopetoun they seem a lot more confident and sure of the music they are creating. The singer was still hesitant and shy between songs but his singing has improved immensely. They are the closest thing to Animal Collective in Australia right now, yet they are slowly carving out their own niche.

Back to the Blue Stage on the far side of the grounds to see the last few songs of Tame Impala. The crowd was huge for the Perth lads and they delivered with a rousing Remember Me and Half Full Glass Of Wine that saw the first big crowd euphoria moment of the day.

Cautiously I descended into the main stadium to check out Mastodon and after being blown away by them the previous night I was as impressed in the harsh sunlight by their monstrous no holds barred technical metal assault. They were truly the heaviest and most rocking band on the bill.

Of the other bands on the Hot Produce stage, Regular John was one of the heaviest, showing they have inherited Shihad’s searing intensity and married it with some 60s melodicism. Wagons brought the americana and country vibe to the BDO and showed there could be more of it added next year. It contrasted nicely with the main stage bombast and Henry Wagons again showed his wicked wit between songs. I only caught the final song of The Scare and despite playing to a criminally small crowd they held nothing back in the heat of the day with singer Kiss Reid ending up amongst the punters.

Back in the stadium Kasabian were doing their best Oasis meets Led Zep impression with their cartoon swagger and riffs that just seemed irrelevant and of no substance. They did little to show they deserved their main stage billing. Eskimo Joe followed and though they have a long list of great songs they too seemed to struggle to ignite any true magic with the massive crowd. Dizzee Rascal on the other hand was a revelation. Though I only caught the last few songs of his set from up in the stands it was a sight to behold with what must have been at least 40,000 sweating fans dancing and bouncing in unison to Rascal’s unique take on hip-hop. With only a DJ and a second MC he was able to command the stage and create mass crowd participation last seen with Rage Against The Machine in the 90s.

While waiting for The Horrors I caught the end of The Decemberists, a band I have never ‘got’. They have obsessive fans but their indie songs just lacked a connection and with the dry humour and nasal voice of singer Colin Meloy taking any emotional weight away from the songs they felt like the indie They Might Be Giants. The Horrors were one band I was looking forward to the most and though they impressed musically I was left with a feeling that playing in the heat of the sun wasn’t the best way to experience them. They had the most stylish fans of the day and they worked their krautrock influenced songs into some dark and hypnotic places but one imagines that the Laneway Festival would have been a much more suitable event for them.

Devendra Banhart was another that I had high expectations for and he turned out to be the highlight of the day with his band The Grogs. With Banhart it is all about the music and he delivered much of his recent album with a tropicalia twist. The grooves were infectious and the melodies were sweet and sassy. Banhart is a captivating performer, always looking for ways to circumvent conventional stage presence but without wanton wackiness. Highlights were 16th & Valencia, Roxy Music, Baby and Chinese Children.

Back in the cauldron The Mars Volta were churning out their polyrhythmic and complex music to the main stage crowd. The problem with them playing on that stage was that their subtleties were lost in the large space and the crowd only reacted to the straighter rock sounds, showing they were there for the volume and energy rather than the mere appreciation of the music.

Powderfinger have played the BDO innumerable times and they have a slick handle on how to entertain and involve an audience that size. Their recent album got a good airing and they played the obligatory sing a long anthems like My Happiness, These Days and (Baby I’ve Got You) On My Mind. Bernard Fanning was in fine voice but there was a sense of ‘been here done this before’ with his between songs comments.

Avoiding the bombast and Queen pomposity of Muse I headed back to the trusty smaller stages to round out the night with a back to basics Grinspoon and the flamboyantly theatrical Peaches. The Grinners also aired their new songs but also played the massive tunes that took them to the top of the Aussie rock heap. Phil Jamieson was as cocky and entertaining as ever and it felt like they had fresh wind in their sails and were enjoying the more intimate stage experience. Peaches was the most entertaining set of the BDO with multiple costume changes, attitude, spunk and humour. Unfortunately her music doesn’t back up her visual efforts but for a good part of her show she was a breath of fresh air from the rock posturing of the day. Dressing as a giant penis and literally walking on the crowd were impressive feats.

Another year, another BDO, the 99th in this case and it showed that the line-up is becoming a byline to the experience of the event itself. Musically there were more highlights than expected, from Dizzee Rascal to Devendra Banhart. The organisers catered exceptionally well to the needs of the crowd both in terms of entertainment and security. With 2 sold out shows in Sydney the question is now where do they go from here.