Whether you’re running frantically between stages, dancing your heart out in the Boiler Room, or getting completely wasted before the first act, Australia’s biggest music festival is an experience you won’t soon forget.

Since it’s debut in Sydney 1992, the Big Day Out has attracted some of the biggest bands on the planet. This year the line-up included Dizzy Rascal, Muse, Lilly Allen, Peaches, The Mars Volta and many more. But for this reporter, it was all about UK rockers, Kasabian and UK five piece The Horrors – both of whom I’d anticipated for months.

After pushing and pulling my way through the crowd and narrowly avoiding a projectile vomit from one deranged festival goer (landing almost entirely on the girl behind me), I found the perfect spot in-front of the main ‘Green’ stage. To my right, hundreds of hardcore fans were bashing heads and moshing to the sounds of Mastodon, who I’d never heard before, but have since become a fan. Their fast paced rock was a winning formula for the hot, sweaty and somewhat ‘buckled‘ audience.

Kasabian were next to take the stage, performing a combination of both old and new tracks from their two albums ‘Empire’ and ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum‘. Lead singer Tom Meighan, ran out with a British swagger and style reminiscent of Mick Jagger, jumping and moving around with boyish enthusiasm, while shouting: “Come on Melbourne! Show me what you got!”.

Diving head first into their set, Kasabian were a solid act from start to finish. Stand out tunes and crowd favourites included ‘Fire’ and ‘Where Did All the Love Go’. But there was plenty of love from the crowd, as girls began shedding their clothes in the mosh-pit, with one girl almost stopping the show after she flashed the band.

After finding my way out of the main stage menagerie, I raced off to the Converse Essential stage to watch Passion Pit. I was curious to hear how their lovable electro-pop-tunes would translate to a live set. In short, “they killed it” and had the crowd bouncing and singing along, with standout track ‘Sleepy Head‘ encouraging a sea of wriggling hands and swaying bodies.

After finishing their set, The crowd dispersed leaving plenty of space for The Horrors, to unleash. As one of the hardest bands to define, The Horrors are known for their drastic changes in sound between their two albums, ‘Strange House‘, which was primarily a post-punk album, with elements of traditional garage punk; where as ‘Primary Colours’ showcased more of a neo-psychedelia approach blended with the dark garage sound the band are now known for.

Their sound swayed, dipped and climbed with a seemingly random motion, but don’t be fooled, there’s method to their madness. The lucid bass riffs and electro synth sounds blend and are what make this band so incredible to listen to. Pale faced and favourtie amongst the ladies, was front man Faris Badwan, who held the bands’ style and facade perfectly…




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