After the mixed bag that was Global Gathering, there was an uneasy anticipation for the inaugural Stereosonic Festival. Standing in the shadow of its much bigger brother, Stereosonic had a lot to prove on its debut on the Perth festival circuit.

Standing in the queue for the gate was a bit like standing in the queue for the ark – there were two of every kind of animal trying to get it. There was the candy raver couple, with their fluffy knee high socks. There was the fluro couple, with plastic Kanye sunglasses and Freshjive shirts. There were the macho dudes, shirtless, fake-tanned and fanny pack to boot. And what would a summer festival be without the crazy costumes – in one queue alone this reviewer picked out two spaceman, two men in dresing gowns and one angry strawberry.

Claremont Showgrounds is not the best of venues tp navigate as you will know from trying to get between stages at the Big Day Out. However, today it was different. The ‘other’ stages, the bars, the toilets and the chill out tents were all placed in an arc around the main stage, making it easy for those who wanted to move around avoid having to cut through the masses in the middle. Sunset Events also delivered in the chillout area department, with two tents filled with retro couches and old-skool video games like Pacman and Galaga.

For the early part of the day, it was all about the locals. In the Chinese-themed Limelite, DJ’s Benny T and Luca served up a jumping set of progressive house under the red lanterns. Having featured on the Limelite circuit for the past year, these boys are quickly growing a solid reputation for their house sets and this, their first festival set, will certainly not be their last.

Stepping into the curtain draped OneLove tent was like stepping into a serious nightclub. The small entry blocked out the light, and the Spank Rock DJs, followed by Ajax, made full use of the darkness and LED lights. In the dank and sweaty darkness, the thundering PA blasted out the electro beats, with a remix of the Rolling Stone’s Gimme Shelter a highlight.

Vitalic hit the Hardware stage in front of a video backdrop featuring random clips smashing brains, Willy Wonka and the Muppets. Vitalic plays sets with so much energy he could outlast the Duracell Bunny, though the writhing crowd did give him a run for his money. Back in the OneLove tent, the Japanese Popstars served up a set of bleeping Gameboy-style beats, where one punter somehow managed get his head lodged in a witches hat.

After the Midnight Juggernauts delievered a solid set of dance rock, Cott-resident DJ Maxwell filled the gap with a set of party favourites. As the last notes of MGMT’s Kids faded, you couldn’t help but wonder why one of the most popular DJ’s on earth was on so early. Starting at 3:45, the other stages quickly emptied as the party legend Carl Cox took to the decks and the mic “Oh yes, oh yes Perth. You be rockin with me? Lets go!”. Launching into a remix of Mojo Rising, the massive crowd jumped and writhed at his feet. As, the Chemical Brothers’ Hey Boy Hey Girl melted into a breaks remix of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song, Carl waved his hands in the air, urging the crowd on “One thing’s for sure Perth, we’re having fun here”. As the sun poured in, Cox delivered the set of the day, relentless from start to finish, and reminded everyone just much fun it is to be drinking and dancing in the heat of summer.

Pnau stepped to the stage and promised the Perth crowd that they were “Gonna to make love to us all”. But as far as one night stands go, Pnau were pretty disappointing. Sure, there were the big singles like Una Noche (Get Up) and Baby, but Pnau just didn’t quite hit it like they usually do live.

Meanwhile, back in the Hardware tent, Booka Shade were drawing the curtains on their world tour. Legends of the minimal and tech house scene, their smiles said it all as they drove the crowd in to a frenzy. The live electronic drum kit complemented the programmed beats and synth lines perfectly, with track Charlotte a standout.

DJ Hell followed and delivered the sort of techno you’d expect to come from Germany – mechanical, glitchy and industrial. However, back on the main stage, fellow countryman Paul van Dyk delivered a different set to normal as the sun left the sky. Famed for his long and subtle trance transitions, PvD was there to party and moved through his track selection with speed. Fatboy Slim’s Star 69 and trance remixes of The Killers’ Human and Foo Fighters’ Times Like These were set highlighs.

As night well and truly fell, PvD made way for Sneaky Sound System and the crowd at the main stage dispersed into the other tents. The Sneakies also failed to deliver, despite their swathe of radio-friendly singles, and those left at the main stage seemed to be there only because they didn’t know anyone else on the bill left to play.

Delivering the knockout blow, however, was Israel’s Infected Mushroom. Fans of the hard and dark beats flocked to the Hardware stage as IM emerged as green silhouettes swathed in guitar feedback. IM sound something like Metallica playing covers of The Prodigy and damn does it work. Opening with Cities of the Future, front man Amit Duvedevani amped up the crowd with his unique military arm-waving style. But it isn’t hard to get the crowd jumping with tracks like Becoming Insane, Deeply DIsturbed and I’m The Supervisor in your arsenal. The mad guitar soloing and thumping beats were the perfect end to the night.

Stereosonic is a timely addition to Perth’s burgeoning festival calendar. If the happy, sweaty faces on the trains leaving Showgrounds station were anything to go by, this festival has a bright future. Only next time, let Carl Cox headline…