You know, for the last few years, when I got home from the Big Day Out all I could think was “that was great… but never again”.  The crowds, the queues, the bogans and that uniquely Queensland flavour – the blistering sun – all seemed to slightly outweigh the music, the atmosphere and the beautiful girls. Yet every October, when the next Big Day Out line-up is released and tickets start selling out, the decision is always made to go back for one more round. Perhaps it’s the death of Brisbane’s beloved Livid that leaves me hanging for a big day out, or maybe it’s just a personal challenge to stop feeling that little bit older and get amongst it once again.

This year’s edition had a strange cloud hanging over it before it even began – a promised visit from the Queensland police’s new hound squad, the ones that like sniffing everyone indiscriminately for drugs. This was widely reported in the Sunday Mail and on JJJ radio during the day, along with the BDO promoters’ “we don’t condone drug use but this is a bit much” comment. Thankfully, all the media coverage seems to have been a bit of passive policing, and as far as I can ascertain the dogs didn’t make an appearance. Maybe it was too hot for them, or their union doesn’t allow them to work on Sundays.

I think whatever Higher Power is up there looking down on us sets aside the second-last Sunday of January as a no-rain, maximum-heat kind of day on the Gold Coast – if my memory serves me correctly I’ve never been rained on at the Gold Coast Big Day Out since my first in 2000. Despite a forecast of clouds and rain, neither were anywhere to be seen the whole day. But sure enough, the sun was already punishing the massive crowds by the time I arrived at midday, in time to see Faker.

The Big Day Out organisers are usually meticulous in providing a quality audio experience to their punters, but for most of the day, there was definitely something amiss this time around on the main stages. Faker sounded flat and dull. There was barely any wind but it sounded like a gale was blowing in front of the stage. Hearing a track like The Familiar should have got the large crowd moving but instead just left most standing there glugging their beer. I love Faker, but I left, hoping the sound would be a little better later in the day.

Walking over to the Boiler Room, I noticed a new addition to the Big Day Out – the silent disco! A concept I had heard discussed before but never actually seen, it was essentially a dodgem car rink with no dodgem cars – and about 100 people bopping around with headphones on. What could everyone else hear? Nothing! It was hilarious watching everyone groove around, hands clamped on headphones, with big cheesy grins on their faces – it was a shame I didn’t find the time to have a go myself. Brilliant idea, though, and I hope it makes a return.

First up for me in the Boiler Room – I missed Scott Walker and Mag00 thanks to the compulsory one-hour wait in traffic before you get in –  was Brisbane lads Teschnik. The crowd was slowly building up and enjoying the breaks-laden set . While the Boiler Room was relatively empty, it was also a great relief from the sun; but this year’s lineup just provided too many interesting opportunities, so it was time to check out The Grates.

The Grates are a Brisbane 3-piece that everyone raves about but I’ve never managed to catch live, and only ever briefly on the radio. The only male member is the guitarist, and the lead singer is a cheery dynamo in the finest tradition of Debbie Harry and Shirley Manson who bounds around on stage looking mighty fine in her fifties-styled dress. They had drawn an excellent crowd and got a very warm reception: methinks The Grates are going places this year.

Back to the Boiler Room for some run-of-the-mill breaks from Goodfellas and then some fuzzy electro beats from The Presets. The last time I saw these guys at Splendour In The Grass they were DJing and had masks on, which was weird, but this time it was all live (and no masks). I’m ashamed to say that despite my love of this kind of music (and the live aspect) I’m yet to hear The Presets album, but there were many people who didn’t have any trouble recognising their tunes.

A small gap in the timetable meant I had time to check out something very different to my usual taste on the main stage – Mudvayne, some very angry dudes singing very angry songs at a very angry volume. The sound seemed to have been temporarily fixed, until they blew the speakers half-way through their set, which was our cue to take a small break and sit in the shade of the Purple Tent awaiting Sarah Blasko. Sarah, one of the finest in Australia’s crop of solo singer-songwriters, has a smile and demeanor that are endearing to say the least. She has the audience in the palm of her hand, and it’s refreshing to see her band members swapping instruments constantly.

Sydney’s DJ Ajax scored a sweet (and well-deserved) time-slot in the Boiler Room, which by four pm was starting to heave. Listening to Ajax is a case of saying “I’ve heard this before – I love this tune!” without actually knowing the name of any one track. Tunes straddled the line between fresh electro-house and commercial saturation – but almost all were good! His finishing almost fifteen minutes late meant Vitalic’s set was cut short to 45 minutes – but what a stonking 45 minutes it was. Before he even started I knew he was going to be a bit of an education for most of the crowd: I mean, he’s not that well-known, and even those who might have heard his new album probably weren’t aware of the greatness of his 2001 electro-tech stormer La Rock 01; and when its unforgettable intro blips and bleeps were slowly, beautifully brought in over the top, I thanked Big Day Out for bringing acts like Vitalic to a sound system such as this: whether most people knew the track or not, it got several thousand people pumping their fists in the air to one of the most amazing dance riffs ever produced. And when the semi-successful hit My Friend Dario was pulled out at the end, huge grins of recognition spread amongst the crowd as its far more commercial guitar riff ripped through the crowd. As Vitalic left the stage to chants of “More! More!” I knew he must have been pleased with his reception.

Unfortunately, Vitalic’s set time had directly clashed with another act I dearly wanted to see, The Go! Team – hopefully they will be back in Australia soon.

Wedged between Vitalic and Sonic Animation in the Boiler Room was a DJ who fit the eclectic mould a la David Holmes several years ago. I had no idea what DJ James Murphy, of LCD Soundsystem fame, would pull out, but by the time he dropped Serge Santiago’s Atto d’amore, a tune I thought I would never hear outside my living room, I was sold. Several dirty house tunes like that, tracks from the DFA and LCD Soundsystem stable, and even some manic disco at the end left me very pleased that something a little different had been wedged between two much more frenetic acts.

It came to the last major timetable clash of the day and time to make a decision – Franz Ferdinand or Soulwax? I’d seen my beloved Franz Ferdinand before (at Splendour 2004) and enjoyed them very much, and I’d only heard a few Soulwax tunes – so Franz it was. Thankfully, by the time they ambled on stage and launched into Do You Wanna, the main stage sound had been sorted out and it sounded great. Franz Ferdinand’s music simply makes you smile, and when you can recognise most of their tracks from both albums it’s very easy to sing along and dance to as well. While I’ll never forget being lifted off my feet in one of the thickest crowds I’ve ever been in at Splendour when they broke into the main riff of Take Me Out, the atmosphere was almost replicated at Big Day Out – tens of thousands of people pogo-ing as high as they could before screaming “I say, don’t you know!” and the rest of the lyrics at the tops of their voices. Franz Ferdinand was a wonderful choice to lead this year’s Big Day Out through a beautiful sunset.

Interestingly, they had been scheduled right over the top of their USA tour-mates Cut Copy. Wandering over to catch the last ten minutes of their show, I was amused and amazed at the core crowd of Cut Copy lovers going absolutely bonkers to the show – and why wouldn’t they? Cut Copy’s sound is simply unique; and if they keep scoring support slots for one of the world’s biggest bands, it’s going to be a great year in 2006 for them.

Finishing the day over in the Boiler Room, second-last act Sonic Animation had started to draw a larger crowd to the big tent, although it definitely didn’t seem as packed as the last few years, which was great. Sonic had deservedly been moved much higher up the timetable after the cancellation of Mylo, a fitting reward for making tens of thousands of festival-goers privy to their Aussie take on rave-pop over the years. I’m not sure how long they’ve had a female singer to fill out their sound, but it was a welcome addition to their repertoire. It was their farewell tour, and so all the stops were pulled out and all the hits were there – most enjoyably their 1999 hit Love Lies Bleeding. They finished with an encore after rapturous final applause – and Theopolos Thistler and their big furry companion Robert Rolley were still just as amusing in 2006 as they were when I first saw Sonic Animation at Homebake at the same venue in ‘99. Farewell, Sonic Animation – we’ll miss you.

2 Many DJs certainly aren’t as massive as, say, the Chemical Brothers, Basement Jaxx or Underworld, who’ve headlined recent Big Day Outs, but I guess there’s only so many mega-electronic acts around these days that can fill that kind of slot. Regardless, having 2 Many DJs finish the day was nice for a change, and it certainly stopped the Boiler Room from becoming a manic sweatbox like it did the last few years. Starting with the same track as Franz Ferdinand – Do You Wanna – and moving through a not-too-bad range of rock and dance, 2 Many DJs’s set at least sounded somewhat fresh and not pre-planned, despite the fact that it was mostly (completely?) coming off a laptop. After the predictable Smack My Bitch Up and Windowlicker were rolled out, we left early for the first time, ostensibly to beat the traffic – which, looking back, was laughable. Although we got in the car at 11.30, it was almost 12.30 by the time we hit the street! I’m not complaining, though – as with every year, managing the logistics of keeping the majority of fifty thousand people happy throughout a stinking hot day is something to be congratulated. Will I be back next year? We’ll see….