Finally my time had come to experience Meredith’s famous Supernatural Amphitheatre, in the form of Golden Plains Music Festival the IV! At two o’clock on the Saturday afternoon, 9,000 punters made their way from the campsite to the stage to be welcomed into the weekend of music and wild weather ahead.

We arrived rugged up and as prepared as we all could be. First cab off the rank was Sydney’s Royal Headache and their distorted punk tunes. Though they played with lots of energy, their rough pop tunes are obviously not made for such a big arena, and they lacked the strength that shines in the clubs, though frontman Shogun’s soulful vocals still punched through. Next up was the ever-enjoyable Crayon Fields (Pictured in header). The gentle summer tunes contrasted with the drab weather, though you can’t help but feel relaxed and happy when watching this quiet quartet and listening to their slightly pop tunes. Amongst the set was my favourite "Graceless", and to hear their cover of Harry Nilsson’s "Everybody’s Talking" is always a joy.

After a bit of an adventure through the campsite, I returned to the Amphitheatre to have my brain completely annihilated by the Israeli punk band known as Monotonix (pictured above). Placing themselves in the crowd, they were almost impossible to see, the drum-kit set up along the barrier, and a guitarist in amongst the crowd left them surrounded the whole set. But it was the very hairy, running, short-wearing frontman Ami Shalev who spent the entirety of their set floating above the revved-up audience. If you weren’t right in the thick of it, mingling with the frenzied band,  you were standing on the outer, on tip-toes trying to catch even the smallest glimpse of the action. After a brief session of call-and-response of Australian musicians (a term used lightly – “AC/DC! Men at Work! Russell Crowe! Kylie Minogue!"), Ami instructed some audience members to hold up a stool and floor tom, in which Ami himself sat atop and bashed away while being held up in the air. Unfortunately their garage-enthusiastic set was cut short after several pauses enforced by the stage manager.

I had a fair bit of curiosity for this next band, the hype surrounding them created an elusive air that would have bought many unknowing punters to check it all out; that hype being The Big Pink, of course. There were moments to their dirty, synth-laden set that soared and forced you to dance; catchy as hell. Though there were also moments that felt a bit flat and uninspiring, with the last couple of tracks picking up the enthusiasm of both parties involved. While I expected a few more egos to be flying, the band seemed genuinely excited playing to the soaked audience, in particular the drummer; a small woman who bashed away with an unhinged fury.

What did get everyone dancing was the eleven-piece Brooklyn based afro-beat act known as Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra! The funky, beat-driven ensemble played a mostly improvised set of tunes that definitely washed away any grief the rain may have given the punters. But it was the band up next that all were waiting for, Pavement (pictured below). Of course, Pavement. There was not one moment you could forget these guys were playing, no one would have ever let you! 1999 saw the California rock band go on a ten year hiatus, but the 2010 Golden Plains festival were one of the first audiences graced with seeing them back in action. It was hard to not stand there in awe while watching Stephen Malkmus and his trusted crew played a set of favourites; "Summer Babe", "Gold Sounds", "Grounded",  and of course "Cut Your Hair"; for their performance of "Conduit for Sale" they were joined on stage by notable Melbourne music enthusiast Julian Wu! Though still in the "warm-up" faze of their reunion tour, the band performed just as everyone had hoped; they played with a calm and relaxed demeanour, joking amongst themselves and interacting with everyone which added to the good vibes their set sent across the audience.

Next was drawing card number two, alternative rock band Dinosaur Jnr. This was the band I was incredibly eager to see, but I left feeling slightly disappointed. It was thrilling to hear the fan-favourites live, such as "Feel the Pain", "Get Over It" and "Freak Scene", but their set as a whole was nonchalant; the Massachusetts trio of  J Mascis, Lou Barlow and "Murph" spent their time on stage looking bored and apathetic, leaving it all feeling very uninspired. There was no excitement like there should have been; it was if they were going through the motions waiting for it all to come to the end. Not one word or even a smile was sent the audience’s way.  The end of their set marked the end of my night. Poor effort, I know, but as I lay in bed I could hear DJ Andee Frost spinning away a crazy mix of tunes well into the night.

Despite the early start, many revellers made their way down to the Amphitheatre for the first act of the day, Melbourne’s own Super Wild Horses (pictured above). The girly duo produced jerky pop songs, slightly monotonous in nature but catchy as hell, with the pair’s high-pitched vocals clear and ringing. I haven’t always been impressed by the twosome in the past, but in this weirdly un-rainy morning, their jagged tunes were enjoyable.

Next up was something a little different and new for the festival, with Professor Hugh McDermott from the Bionic Ear Institute delivering to the punters of Golden Plains festival a speech explaining "Why Music is Good for Our Brain". He discussed something many of us there would have taken for granted, our ability to enjoy live music unhindered, and how his research helps the hearing impaired hear music for the first time!

Flanked by a(n ex) Mercy Arm in the form of Kirin J Callinan and Ghostwood’s Tom Crandles on bass, the momentarily sunny afternoon was graced with Mr Jack Ladder (pictured above). With the drummer temporarily replaced with a drum machine, Jack played the atmospheric re-worked versions of his older songs, such as "The Barber’s Son" as well as some newer tracks, my particular favourite being a tune called "Hurtsville". This refreshing sound Mr Ladder has taken to, when matched with Kirin's frantic guitar stylings and the throttling drum machine, has something incredibly confronting about it. There is a brutality present in the band’s performance as well a gentle romanticism. Closing the set was "You Won’t be Forgotten When You Leave", ending with Ladder on his knees and Callinan wreaking a static havoc between his guitar, the drum machine and his various collection of pedals.

As I went for a stroll around the International Food Court and the different suburbs of the campsite, I could hear Jeffery Lewis and the Junk Yard’s clunky, clatter-y set, settling amongst it being a cover of Pavement’s own "Cut Your Hair", causing most people to stop and turn when recognising the track they had just heard performed live the night before.

San Francisco’s Wooden Shjips (pictured below) were an act I knew not a lot about, but I was immediately intrigued by psychedelic rock and roll tunes they produced. The four gentlemen wound their way through an undulating set drawing out long, spaced-out jams.

Ahhh, Nashville Pussy. They are sex, drugs and rock and roll personified in a very corny and rather trashy way, but the leather-and-tattoo clad foursome definitely know how to entertain. Fuelled by alcohol and a self-admitted red-neck fury, “The Puss” Motorhead-ed their way through a set of incredibly kitsch (whether that is purposeful or not is hard to gauge), ballsy rock and roll songs about drinking, sexy times and God knows what else!

The Dirty Projectors were band number two on the line up, and were surrounded by an aura of hype. Between me and those around me, the Brooklyn-based band attracted many mixed opinions. Not being a fan myself, I didn’t feel moved by their set like I thought I should have been, considering the acclaim their live show and recent album received. Over the course of their hour there were moments where it sounded a little muddy and sparse, quite possibly the big space not working in the favour of their experimental pop tunes. Duelling lead vocalists Angel Deradoorian and Amber Coffman sounded sweet and angelic, when their vocals could be heard, with Angel definitely being the cause of many dropped jaws from fans and non-fans alike.

The sky was getting dark early because of the heavy clouds, and it was pouring down once again a fresh downfall of rain, but it all worked to set a very romantic and surreal scene for Perth’s Tame Impala, who played a set of older songs from their ep such as "Desire Be, Desire Go", "Skeleton Tiger" and my favourite "Half Full Glass of Wine" mixed with some newer numbers off the impending debut long-player Innerspeaker. The now-quintet’s psychedelic rock tunes rang out through the rain sounding like a giant wall blanketing the crowd. Not only can this band play the smaller venues, but take to any festival stage with gusto and consistently appear to play at their best with Meredith’s Amphitheatre the picture-perfect location to hear their tunes performed.

It was now my opportunity to catch my breath before the acts ahead, so I admit to not taking much notice of Calexico, a Latino-inspired rock band hailing from Arizona, but what did make my ears prick up was their own Mariachi-esque cover of Joy Division’s "Love Will Tear Us Apart"; their spin on the song sounding much more uplifting (if such a song can be called that...) than the sombre original.

Out wandered a few gentlemen, all picking up their respective instruments and taking positions to begin playing an instrumental rock number, bluesy and dirty, before sashaying onto the stage was the man everyone hates to loves but does it anyway, naturally, Tex Perkins. Armed with his Cruel Sea, he took a spot in my top performances of the festival. He is old enough to be my father, yes, but Mr Perkins is just so God damn sexy! He sings with a smirk and swaggers around the stage, enhancing the sly, often sarcastic nature of his lyrics. The Cruel Sea are one of those inherently Australian acts, but as everyone came down to the stage for Tex’s party in the pouring rain to dance to the likes of "Better get A Lawyer” and "The Honeymoon is Over", it was an expression of patriotism that no douchebag with a Southern Cross tattoo could ever understand.

I love Midnight Juggernauts, though continually miss the opportunity to see them perform live, so I was excited to finally catch their electronic-enthusiastic rock songs in action; I ended up disappointed. The music sounded great, but Vincent Vendetta’s vocals sounded muffled; completely muted. It was fun for a dance and a sing-a-long to the words we could hear, but it just fell a bit flat for a band’s live performance.

My first and definitely not last Golden Plains experience has left me impatient for future Supernatural Amphitheatre events to come. There was this natural sense of camaraderie that came out at Golden Plains, definitely instilling good vibes to make sure everyone’s days and nights were memorable (or unmemorable in a good way.)