After a huge day of music, the crowd woke up nice and early mostly due to the early morning heat. In for another scorcher of a day, little to no clothes was the look around the site, as well as huge bottles of water and sunscreen becoming the accessory of the festival.

Indie power-pop group Red Ink were first up on the main stage to kick of what was to be a long day of New Years Eve celebrations. Attracting a decent sized crowd considering both the weather as well as the time in which they were playing, they impressed greatly with their tracks Werewolf, Love On A Park Bench and the catchy sing-along track and debut single, Audrey.

The whirlwind tale of Melbourne band Bonjah is one of tireless work and band companionship which has resulted in both a fantastic sound and a deserving success. A dedicated crowd gathered at the front of the stage for the band demonstrated they had gained quite a following and their set showed why. Playing tracks from their debut album Until Dawn, alongside a cracking cover of The Beatles classic Come Together, most assuredly gained even more fans for this talented group as well as entertaining the crowd.

After a busy year for this Sydney group, including a support slot for Lily Allen, The Cassette Kids kicked off their busy summer of gigging with a set on the Main Stage. Their recent commercial success of single Lying Around ensured that many patrons were singing along. In the intriguing vocals of front woman Katrina Noorbergen lies the distinctive sound of the four piece who played news songs from an upcoming LP release, as well as tracks Freaky Sweetie and Meant To Be.

Assaulting the crowd with their snarling guitars and charging drums, Sydney two-piece The Fumes gave us forty five minutes of good old rock and roll. Despite technical problems which plagued their set, the boys maintained their on stage professionalism throughout the troubles, with drummer Joel Battersby keeping us entertained with some cracking drum solo’s. Playing tracks such as Tell Ya Story Walking, off their album Guns For Gold, the boys most definitely converted a whole new group of fans who just could not get enough of their raw and dirty bluesy rock sound.

As if the rock and roll tracks could not get any better, Kram, stage name for Spiderbait’s Mark Maher, arrived onto the stage with the aura of a rock god to play tracks from his 2009 release Mix Tape. Tracks such as single Silk Suit had the audience jumping around and singing along, while Kram jumped from one instrument to the other, keeping the punters guessing as to what exactly he would do next. Wittingly stating that this was his – œlast gig of the year’, he assured us that we were in for one hell of a ride, before descending into the crowd to run laps of the Main Stage area, with hundreds of fans in tow. His set a highlight of the festival for many who could not have had a better time with Kram and his usual fun and energetic set.

Sydney boys Something With Numbers arrived on the Main Stage with a swelling crowd and a group of dedicated fans squishing up as close to the stage as they could possibly get. These excited fans could not talk highly enough of the band and their live act and when front man Jake Grigg ran onto the stage, exploding into well known single Stay With Me Bright Eyes, these fans went nuts. With Chase The Chaser, We’ll Fight and Zombie Grigg’s powerful vocals resonated though the grounds. After performing their incredibly catchy and clever mash up of Kings Of Leon’s Sex On Fire and Cypress Hill’s Hits From The Bong, the boys closed out their fantastic set with their first single, Apple Of The Eye (Lay Me Down).

Melbourne darling Clare Bowditch charmed the crowd through her blend of folk, pop and rock which has been the foundation for her success thus far. Backed by her usual band with an extra addition of three female backup singers, Clare launched into When The Lights Went Down before bringing down the mood a little with her stunning rendition of I Thought You Were God. Throughout the set Clare held the crowd’s attention with her better known singles Divorcee By 23 and Lips Like Oranges. A highlight of the set was the performance of a new track titled Running, which saw guitarist Tim Harvey swapping his skinny jeans for some running shorts and sweatbands to jog around the entertainment area, dodging tackles and being followed by fans and festival patrons – a fantastic feat considering the temperature sitting nicely in the high 30’s. Leaving the crowd with You Look So Good, Clare gave a diverse and enjoyable set and left fans looking forward to her 2010 release.

Perth psychedelic rockers Tame Impala, took to the main stage well adjusted to a spot on a festival bill after their packed 2009 festival and touring schedule. After the success of their debut self titled EP, the boys launched into Desire Be, Desire Go, with the huge crowd that had assembled to hear their set, swaying their bodies and singing along. It seems that every year, a band is chosen by the media and is hyped to the heavens, with the band itself rarely living up to expectations. Luckily for us, Tame Impala is not that band. Their distinctive sound is unlike any other found in the current music industry but would be more commonly found in the seventies. Their first single Sundown Syndrome is further enhanced in their live performance, as was Skeleton Tiger. Drummer Jay Watson at one point stripping down to just his underwear, declaring that “when it’s this hot, you don’t have to wear pants!”. Playing their most well known track Half Full Glass Of Wine, it became clear the far reaching success of the band through dedicated touring and airplay, making it clear to the crowd that they were deserving of any success and praise directed their way. Their final track, a cover of Blueboy’s 90’s hit, Remember Me, had the crowd singing and cheering for a band that have an LP release due sometime in 2010, are only going to get bigger and better.

While hip hop master Phrase rocked the tent with hits Spaceship and Clockwork, something special was happening on the Main Stage. In what was always going to be an incredible set, the crowd had well and truly taken their spots for Sydney band Bluejuice to take to the stage. And when they did, it was high energy, nonstop rock from start to finish with front men Jake Stone and Stav Yiannoukas living up to their reputation for explosive live shows. Their genre blurring of funk, indie rock and – œpunk hop’ gives them their individual sound, and through Triple J and more recently commercial airplay, they are becoming increasingly popular. Tracks Work, Miss Johnstone and I Ain’t Telling The Truth, had the crowd going absolutely crazy for the band, leaving the Bluejuice boys grinning from ear to ear. When they performed their most well known track Broken Leg, the crowd were taken to a whole other level of experience. The crowd went wild for the song, putting as much energy into the set as the band themselves. As per usual, the performance of Vitriol maintained that energy, leaving the crowd screaming for more. Many who were not well versed in the experience that is Bluejuice, left shocked at what they had just seen – a true highlight for them. And those who did know, were not surprised at the usual magnificent set from a ripper of a band.

With the organisers warning patrons of a storm, dedicated fans remained at the front of the stage, determined not to lose their spots for the New Years bands and celebrations, while others returned to their campsites to make sure their tents were waterproof and secured firmly to the ground. The Beautiful Girls kicked off the evening’s festivities on the Main Stage playing what many punters labelled an incredible set. New single Don’t Wait, gained a great reception, while older tracks Blackbird and I Thought About You were clear hits with the audience. With an album release due in May 2010, their set showcased a wide array of their tracks keeping both the diehard fans satisfied as well as entertaining a whole new legion of fans. Their set however, was prematurely cut short. With the storm arriving, their sound was cut and the festival organisers rushed to clear and waterproof the stage before the rain began.

While many sought shelter from the incredible electrical storm which brought rain, thunder, lightning and 150kmph winds, a few dedicated fans remained to maintain their spot for the headliners which were expected later on in the evening. After around an hour, the storm had well and truly passed, leaving the campsite looking like a wreck. Despite this, punters gathered at the Main Stage, eager to continue with the night’s proceedings. Proceedings which never arrived…

With the weather conditions being fine from approximately 10.30pm onwards, thousands of punters had gathered at the stage, eagerly waiting for The Butterfly Effect and Grinspoon (and later Van She) who were next on the bill. But after an hour of being subjected to a cringe worthy DJ set and no communication from the festival organisers about what to expect many of the punters began to wonder whether they would get to see The Butterfly Effect and Grinspoon, or whether that due to the storm, they would be moved to perform after headliners, Empire Of The Sun. As it rapidly approached midnight with still no communication or stage announcements, the confusion had spread through the crowd, along with speculation as to what was really going on.

The sell out crowd became increasingly impatient which only increased when punters checked their phones and realised that midnight had in fact passed, with no official countdown. After minimal celebrations, punters became angered, with chants of “Bullshit!” and “Refund!” echoing throughout the crowd. It was not until closer to 1:00am that a member of the on stage crew got on the microphone and informed the crowd that none of the headline bands would be playing that evening and that those who wanted to hear music, should make their way to the tent.

A group of angered patrons began throwing objects onto the stage while disbelief and irritation spread through the crowd as they struggled to comprehend how it took three hours (four hours with no music), to inform the crowd of the situation – with many more in disbelief that they were not even given a countdown at a New Year’s festival.

The way in which the situation on New Year’s Eve was handled was almost a complete contrast to the fantastic experience of the rest of the festival. The lack of communication between the festival and its patrons only enhanced a difficult situation which most likely could have been avoided through informing the crowd of the situation, or at least providing them with an official New Year’s Eve countdown. Up until that point, the sold out crowd had been having a fantastic time.

The events of New Years Eve were unfortunate for all parties involved, particularly the crowd’s disappointment regarding the cancellation of the festival headliners. Those at the festival can only hope that the problem is not repeated in the coming years, and that the basic communication between the organisers and the patrons will improve greatly.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish a – œHappy New Year!’ to all those at Pyramid… Better late than never, I guess.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS OF THE FESTIVAL ACTION HERE

READ THE REVIEW OF PYRAMID DAY ONE HERE