CHECK OUT THE COMPREHENSIVE PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE DAY HERE.

The economic downturn of 2008 saw fewer international acts and more locally-grown artists on this year’s Big Day Out line up. Despite the usual bevy of big names on the main stage, 2009’s Gold Coast Big Day Out turned out to be full of great live music and an all-round-fun day.

Triple J Unearthed slot winners Hungry Kids of Hungary made themselves at home on the Hot Produce Stage, launching off the day with a set of catchy harmony-laden tunes that sounded great on the bigger stage. New songs such as Scattered Diamonds and Old Money sat very comfortably alongside EP tracks, including Triple J favourite Set It Right.

Sparkadia had the dubious honour of opening the Orange Stage, reaching out to the rapidly expanding audience with their highly accessible, easily digestible fare. Sticking mostly to tracks from their Postcards album, Sparkadia did their best to fill the large space with sound, although didn’t quite get there. Set highlights were Morning Light, Too Much To Do and Jealousy.

They get a really big run from everybody, but this reviewer struggles to see the point with Children Collide, who launched their set like a horde of trigger-happy militiamen, pummelling any and all who dared to venture near the Blue Stage .Yeah sure, they’re noisy and sweaty and turn the distortion up to 11, but after that, what do they have? Okay, maybe a couple of well-crafted songs, but certainly not worth enough for the pleasure of a slot on the main stage at Big Day Out.

Brisbane’s answer to P J Harvey, Kate Bradley and the Goodbye Horses played a fairly lacklustre set back at the Hot Produce Stage, although this could be in part due to the minimal crowd presence and large empty tent. Having said that, Kate did a good job of demonstrating that she has the chops, if not necessarily the songs to push her through to the next level.

Brisbane darlings The Gin Club claimed The Green Stage as their own, quickly leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that they are anything other than an extraordinary group of musicians who make really interesting – if sometimes a little indulgent – music together. Getting a respectable set length of 40 minutes allowed the group to showcase their varying styles and talents, at one stage bringing lead-cellist, Bridget up to sing a song. A particular highlight was the version of Fear Of The Sea from its eponymous record. As per usual, the Gin Club always impress with their rich textured harmonies and milieu of musical influences.

Bounding onto the Converse Stage, Melbourne’s Eddy Current Suppression Ring provided a hectic and angular set of speed-infused post-punk garage pop. Their singer seemed a little ADHD and slightly nutty on stage, complete with black finger gloves and bouncing style. In particular, Cool Ice Cream went down a treat with the crowd on the hot Sunday summer afternoon.

Hailing from Western Australia, which is almost far enough away to be considered international, Birds of Tokyo played a solid set of gradually intensifying alt-rock that fitted the festival vibe really smoothly. Broken Bones went off like a rocket, with the audience responding with warm enthusiasm. By the time they got to the end of their set, the only real option left was to finish off with a blistering rendition of Silhouettic.

Mainstays of the festival scene, Brisbane’s very own preppy-pop kids The Grates, came out on stage and immediately whipped the crowd into a festive frenzy. Wearing a band leader outfit and back on her feet, Patience led the audience through a 45 minute sing-a-long including Higher and Science Is Golden, even instructing that “all the girls get on someone’s shoulders!”

Youth Group seem to get more uninteresting with each passing show. How can a band that brought out 2005’s Skeleton Jar, which is a super album, followed by a mega-hit with the cover of Forever Young, lose it to the point where the only other song worth seeing them have a crack at is Catching And Killing? Toby’s voice didn’t cut through the mix at all at the Green Stage, and it seemed like the band were going through the motions, almost half-heartedly.

Youngsters Little Red kicked off their Converse Stage set with the clichéd masterpiece of advertisement jingle-writing, Coca Cola, although they quickly redeemed themselves with a spot-on version of Witch Doctor. Despite being a borderline covers/rip-off band, Little Red has an energy that is undeniable and an enthusiasm that is matched only by the bopping of teenage girls in the audience.

Back at the Green Stage, The Ting Tings played a set of sassy indie-dance tunes taken straight from their debut, We Started Nothing. It was a poor choice of stage for the act, as they easily would have been far more suitable on the Orange or Blue Stage. iPod ad Shut Up And Let Me Go became an impromptu sing-a-long, as well as Great DJ being joined by a couple of thousand young ladies singing “ah ah ah ah ah ah”. To top the already overcrowded space, the audience went nuts for the first few bars of That’s Not My Name.

Cog are a better live band than they are on record and today was no exception, with the trio presenting an exceptionally tight and intense set of material from The New Normal and Sharing Space records. Stand out songs today included Run, My Enemy and Bird Of Feather.

Following straight on from the intricate and layered sounds of Cog, Bullet For My Valentine quickly demonstrated that they weren’t taking any prisoners back from today. Brutal and intense, they growled and prowled around the stage, while aggressively flailing all and sundry with their musical onslaught. Although not this reviewer’s cup of tea, Bullet For My Valentine is a cohesive and uncompromising unit as well as individually being consummate players.

TV On The Radio brought their set to a start with an extended instrumental featuring sleigh bells and whistling. Vocalist Tunde Adebimpe bounced around the whole time like a jackhammer. Golden Age went down very well, as did Shout Me Out from Dear Science, as well as some of the more – Å“classic’ variety from Return To Cookie Mountain.

Died Pretty proved that being in a band is not about how old or young you are, but rather how good you are at rocking out completely. They were decked all in black, with the exception of the singer who was dressed all in white, complete with a cowboy hat. These guys are masters of old school rock, pushing out tune after tune of quality old-time-rock that still holds relevance.

The breadth and variation in the set of My Morning Jacket was extraordinary. From reggae influences through to soundscape patterns, after stopping off at country, pop and alternative, My Morning Jacket showed a diversity that was musically enviable. There was a lot of sonic space in the mix which felt good and allowed the band to really explore some more subtle nuances with harmonies and instrumental layering.

Gritty Australiana kings (and queen), The Drones played a solid set of tunes, focussing quite heavily on both Gala Mill and Havilah, including opening song, The Minotour. While there was some onstage confusion over which songs were being performed and when, the performances and musicality of the band was just superb. A set highlight was the irresistibly chaotic order and raw energy of I Don’t Ever Want To Change.

Despite coming on late, Cut Copy instantly had the overcrowded (again, a poor staging decision) Green Stage bouncing up and down to the beat of Hearts On Fire. With more courageous punters clambering up the guide ropes and tent poles, the rest of the crowd danced to a swag of dance-friendly cuts from In Ghost Colours, including Far Away and Feel The Love, as well as a b-side called Sands Of Time.

Festival veterans The Living End did their usual take on punkabilly that is guaranteed to work in any festival situation, as they have done hundreds of times before. While recent albums haven’t captured the same energy that earlier, more raw and in-the-moment records contained, the live show hasn’t suffered one little bit. Indeed, if anything, The Living End is a band that just keeps getting better with age. Wake Up, West End Riot and White Noise, while all beginning with – Å“W’, were also the big punter pleasers.

The hype that had once surrounded Arctic Monkeys seems all but gone these days, dissipated into the ether until the next – Å“It’ band comes along and gets the hype machine salivating again. Looking very Beatles-circa 1964, with their pretty mop-tops, Arctic Monkeys played a safe set of their standards, with each song sounding remarkably like the previous one. Of course they played I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor, and of course everyone cheered and danced and had fun, but in terms of any real substance and longevity, it feels like Arctic Monkeys have very nearly outstayed their welcome.

An unusual choice for a main stage closer, Neil Young played an extended 90 minute set of classics and rarities for the crowd who didn’t choose to leave early or head to the Boiler Room for the Prodigy’s set. With songs like Hey Hey, Spirit Road and Cinnamon Girl quickly coming out, it was clear that we were in for something not to be experienced again at Big Day Out – old-school rock done in the true fashion at an outdoor festival by walking/talking living legends. Neil Young jumped on acoustic guitar for a solo rendition of The Needle And The Damage Done, followed by full band backing for Old Man and Heart Of Gold, which had the crowd mesmerised.

Bringing the set to a close with Cowgirl In The Sand and Rockin’ In The Free World, Neil and his band gave a big bow before returning with an extended version of The Beatles’ A Day In The Life for an encore. Before leaving the stage, Neil gave a lesson in true rock behaviour by ripping his guitar strings apart and then using them to feedback the amplifier and guitar by slapping them together.

And then, after 12 hours of drinking, dancing, singing, waiting in queues, walking from one end of Parkland to the other, getting sunburnt, getting dehydrated, getting even more sunburnt, and then losing all friends and having no mobile reception, the day was done until Big Day Out rolls around again next year!