Ever since the 2011 Good Vibrations line-up was accidently leaked late last year, excitement about the undeniably iconic (albeit eclectic and perhaps a little dated) bill has been high. While event organisers Jam employed a similar formula to last year (a please-all-genre-tastes blend of dance, indie and hip hop/rap acts) this year’s line-up was far more prominent.

Despite the impressive line-up it seemed numbers were still low, with the promoters offering half-price tickets the day before the Sydney event on deals website Spreets. While this could be attributed to various reasons (festival fatigue, artist cancellations) the main reason may be the general disenchantment Sydneysiders seem to have with the Good Vibrations brand.

In the interest of objectivity, I decided to judge this all for myself, so armed with promotional poncho courtesy of Pendulum, I embarked on my first Good Vibrations adventure.

On the main Good Vibrations stage, Friendly Fires were given a warm welcome by eager fans who last year saw the band downgrade to a DJ set following a “family emergency” announced just 48 hours before the tour kicked off. A rain soaked Ed Macfarlane backed by full band belted out all the Friendly Fires favourites, with Paris significantly lifting the mood of the drenched crowd.

In anticipation of the clashes to come, I set out to check out the other stages and get my bearings. Efforts to catch a glimpse of Erykah Badu were futile, with the Roots tent crammed with a mix of fans and others afraid of losing their tans.

It was with both intrigue and a secret love of dubstep (don’t tell anyone) that I went to check out Rusko in the Laundry tent and ended up staying, unexpectedly, for almost his entire set. It wasn’t (entirely) because I was enjoying it, but more so that it was such a spectacle I couldn’t drag myself away.

With his hit Woo Boost coming early in the set, it was dubstep mixes of tracks like Dire Straits Money For Nothing and Nero’s remix of The Jets Crush on You (a track that also brought Aaron Carter to fame) that really made the set so hard to step away from. Love or hate Rusko and everything he represents, he was a true performer and very vocal on the mic; introducing a number of “exclusives” and “first plays”. However, my cue to leave was signalled by a dubstep remix of Jason Derulo’s Whatcha Say.

One of the surprises of the day were Bag Raiders, who managed to pull a huge crowd despite rain and many people’s tendency to dismiss local artists on festival line-ups. It was pleasing to see them in semi-DJ mode, blending their own hits like Snake Charmer and Shooting Stars with other tunes, giving the crowd an insight into their musical tastes.

With the clashes now beginning I ducked into the Roots tent to catch Nas & Damian Marley and was pleased when they opened with standout hit from their Distant Relatives album As We Enter, followed by a snippet of the Nas and Lauren Hill classic If I Ruled the World.

Racing back to the Good Vibrations stage I was devastated when I found myself fighting oncoming foot traffic, indicating I was too late to catch Kelis, however from most reports she appeared to be having a great time.

One complaint many had about this year’s festival was the abominable clashes which saw headliners Phoenix, Ludacris and Faithless all playing at practically the same time. While I recognise that such scheduling is usually an intentional move aimed at ensuring the crowd is evenly spread across the festival site, luring people to the festival with such big names, then making it virtually impossible to see more than one or two is a bit greedy.

But, shit happens, so as groups split and couples argued about who they wanted to go see, I sorted myself out with a good position at the Good Vibrations stage to see Faithless. There was an undeniable buzz in the air as fans waited for Maxi Jazz and Sister Bliss to appear on stage. Those who had seen Faithless before (of which there were many) compared stories, those who hadn’t were eager to end the wait.

Opening with bonus track Happy followed by Sun To Me off their latest album The Dance Faithless, together with their full live band, began the journey through their catalogue of hits – old and new.

Although the location and set-up of Good Vibrations did a good job of emulating the grand scale of their overseas counterparts, the sound lacked the ‘oomph’ needed for an act of Faithless’s pedigree. However, this didn’t stop Faithless from giving a powerhouse performance with a shirtless Maxi Jazz reigning over the crowd. Closing the main set with Not Going Home, the group returned to wild applause, finishing with a sea of raised fists for We Come One.