After swelling seemingly endlessly for years, like an obese slug growing fat on the money spilling out of our wallets, the Australian festival scene finds itself in quite a different place in 2011. There’s little room for new players to enter the market, and even the established brands are having trouble holding their ground (witness Splendour In The Grass failing to instantly sell out for the first time in living memory last week).

The one exception though is of course the regional festival; while all the other players were focussed on muscling in on the same territory in the nation’s capitals, a few wily players saw the potential of bringing the same experience to punters outside of the cities, with Groovin The Moo leading the charge.

Kicking off in 2005 with two shows across NSW catering to less than 2,000 punters each, it’s grown exponentially to reach five states, with this year’s show at Maitland Showgrounds, just outside of Newcastle, hosting probably around 20,000+ people.

After hopping off one of the buses that were shipping in punters by the thousands, for anyone used to the overblown bombast of Sydney festivals it’s a charming stroll through the streets of Maitland to the event grounds.

Big hysterical dogs pace back and forth behind suburban fences, desperately wanting to break loose and tear a few youthful festival-goers limb from limb, while local residents camp out on the grass out the front of their house and crack a few tinnies, making boisterous conversation with those walking by.

Arriving at the gates and it’s a quick and breezy walk through the entry lanes. Walking in, and you’ve got a cleverly organised event that easily caters to the many thousands who’ve made the effort (and spent the cash) to be here today.

Walking in we see Norwegian visitors Datarock bouncing around the mainstage in their trademark red tracksuits, and breaking into Computer Camp Love (the novelty of which will sustain ‘em for a few years yet it seems). Strolling around and checking out the grounds, it’s green grass, blue skies and crisp Autumn weather, and refreshingly limited to a very manageable two stages, making it very easy to catch everyone you want to see.

However, the most interesting thing about Maitland’s Groovin’ The Moo is how they separate the under-18s, and the older booze-swilling crowd. Around 50 metres back from the mainstage is a fence that stretches right around the festival grounds, housing all the bars and quite a lot of classy festival food options, as well as plenty of space to frolic around unbothered by the young-uns’ if you’re so inclined to avoid ‘em.

You can comfortably observe the action from the distance (probably a lot closer than you’ll ever get at a Sydney festival, honestly), or you can get amongst it and get close to the stage. Either way, it’s a refreshingly cruisy day with next to none of the hard work that suckas in the city regularly subject themselves to.

Nu-folk princess Washington hits the stage next for a charmingly down-to-earth set that connects effortlessly with the welcoming crowd (surely not the hardest bunch of people to play to), and her inclusion on the line-up is a good indication of how far her star has risen over the past year. In fact, the line-up overall ain’t a bad indication of what’s connecting with the triple j lovin’ youth of the nation (those who aren’t obsessed with Rihanna and GaGa, that is).

It’s time to visit the ‘Moolin Rouge’ tent next, a space for an eclectic mix of crossover bands and dance beats for most of the day, as well as a whole lotta sweaty underage gurn. Horrorshow and Go! Team had commanded attention earlier in the day, and now Architecture in Helsinki are serving up the unmistakable quirk they’ve made a name for themselves with, as well as a bit of the cool ‘80s electro from their new Moment Bends album, but the sweaty crowd is heaving to the point where the band has to tell ‘em all just to settle down a little, especially when an acrobatic attention seeker decides to climb all the way to the top of one of the pylons (something we see repeated at various times and places during the day, with several bogans bouncing around on the creaky tarpaulin stretched over the VIP tent at one stage, all probably too drunk to know any better).

Back at the main stage, the reformed House of Pain are playing a set that sounds more like live funk than the ‘90s party hip hop most might have assumed they’d be dishing up. Everlast himself is looking more like an bearded, ageing blues singer than a hardened rapper, but they get the right kinda response when they launch into Jump Around, with hysterical kiddies bounding towards the stage in an excited flap.

When Gotye and crew hit the stage a little later in the day after the sun sets, it’s with the kind of self-indulgent build that might be characteristic and loved by Walter De Backer’s fans, but it’s probably pushing the envelope a little too much for peaktime at a regional festival; until he finally unleashes the energy in the latter part of the set with anthems like The Only Way and Hearts A Mess.

Next up, Birds of Tokyo provide a studio-perfect set of non-threatening Ozzie rock that’s pretty much ideal for the time and place, followed by the markedly more exciting Wombats from the UK, who belt out their growing portfolio of hits, with enthusiastic vibes and Liverpool accents aplenty.

Over at the dance tent, though, it’s time for UNKLE, the sleeper act that’s the drawcard for more than a few sneaky music obsessives who gather at the front, as the wide-eyed kids who’ve grown accustomed to the fidgety beats of the likes of AC Slater for the most part vanish. James Lavelle doesn’t recreate the grandeur he delivered in the Boiler Room a few years ago, though. The assembled live performers fail to gel together as a tight unit, and the sound mix is muddy; they don’t really sound live a cohesive live touring act and they don’t live up to the wonder of Unkle’s studio albums, though perhaps it’s not surprising for what’s essentially the brainchild of a single man and his scattered musical partners.

Back at the mainstage, and the day is drawing to a close with an absolutely massive crowd that’s gathered for the bravado of Bliss N Eso, the biggest all day and testament to how much they’ve lifted into the big league in the past year. No wonder they want to take a photo for Facebook at the end of the set. Slightly fewer people are there for closers Cut Copy, but the euphoria levels are perhaps even higher as they plough through spine-tinglers like Hearts on Fire and the new Need You Know. A few years ago they lacked the presence to properly entertain the festivals, but they certainly come packing it tonight.

Thousands spill out onto the suburban streets of Maitland not long after, with the same residents parked on deckchairs on their lawns, and the same rabid dog running riotously in circles. Putting aside the disorganised shambles of getting everyone on a bus and outta there, it’s been a sterling day that reminds you that festivals should be about breezy vibes and easy-going fun. Sometimes you have to leave the cities to remember what it feels like. Groovin’ The Moo is showing ‘em all how it’s done.