Sore heads and wet feet were the order of the morning on day two of Golden Plains, and it was in this state that a somewhat muddled collective gathered in the Supernatural Amphitheatre at 11am to find out why music is good for the brain.

In a first for the festival, Professor Hugh McDermott of the Bionic Ear Institute gave a lecture on how and why the human ear hears music. Despite lecturing to an audience unable to tell left from right, McDermott kept punters entertained by reiterating the genius of Guns N Roses’ Sweet Child Of Mine demonstrating that the whole crowd could recognize the song from hearing only half a second of the opening riff. The talk was eagerly absorbed by drowsy minds and proved to be an interesting (and hopefully permanent) addition to the already bespoke festival experience that is Golden Plains.

From mind expanding lecture to mind bending music The next man on stage wasn’t so easily absorbed or enlightening. Jack Ladder was joined by a unintentionally comical Kirin J. Callinan (of Mercy Arms) and a drum machine to produce a racket that had punters choking on their bacon and eggs. Sadly it seems that Ladder has abandoned his Bryan Ferry impersonation, for a tragically unimpressive attempt to become Nick Cave understudy. The ramshackle Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard offered songs about mosquito mass murdering and the dangers of acid, but the soulful Space Invadas fronted by the always charming Steve Spacek were just too clean for a place on a bill heavy on jangling and buzzing rock guitars.

Next stop was psychedelic San Francisco’s Wooden Shjips. The quartet, who appeared to have actually teleported themselves in from 1973, proved to be just what the battle weary crowd needed to get the afternoon moving. With swirling guitars and hypnotic organ in full flight Wooden Shijips took fans on a trip through a seemingly endless jam of their back catalogue. Caught in a trance no-one in the crowd blinked an eye when a green man in a bubble (a la Wayne Coyne) appeared above their heads for two songs and then, quite mysteriously disappeared. As bizarre as that moment proved to be, the highlight of the set was undoubtedly the bands’s cover of Neil Young’s Vampire Blues which (amidst a few grumbles) was award ‘The Boot’.

From washed out psychedellia to grinding rock Nashville Pussy was equal parts cringe and amazing. The country rockers, lead by the incredible guitar of Ruyter Suys, stomped their way through a set of tunes that made even the shyest indie kids shake a leg. Declaring that Rose Tattoo’s Rock’n’Roll Outlaw should be “Australia’s ‘’f—-ing national anthem’’ the band easily won over the punters and even enticed a little synchronised chorography (and an attempt at a second awarding of the boot) with a cover of Nutbush City Limits.

The Dirty Projectors were always a risky prospect to follow the raw rock of Nashville Pussy with their wildly ambitious and heavily stylised vocals. It took a few songs for the band to warm up (and for the punters to warm to the band) and although they’re not really an act made for the festival circuit, the highlights from their recent Bitte Orca album, such as Stillness Is the Move and _Temecula Sunrise, managed to impress.

Though they haven’t released a full album, Tame Impala are already veterans of the Supernatural Amphitheatre stage, but this time around they were given a prime time billing. The West Australians didn’t waste the opportunity, playing an impressive set of familiar tracks, a few tastes of their soon to be released debut record and of course THAT cover of Blueboy’s Remember Me.

If ever there was a band whose music was made for Golden Plains, then it is Calexico. The Americana troupe filled the Amphitheatre with a swirling haze of trumpets creating perfect soundtrack for all the good, bad and (increasingly) ugly punters. The highlights of the exceptional set included Crystal Frontier and a superb cover of Love’s Alone Again Or.

Tex Perkin’s arrived on stage with The Cruel Sea promising an end to the rain that had dampened the weekend. It turned out that he’d lied, but the crowd was willing to forgive him. (Who could hold a grudge against Tex?) Though the set was heavy with a summery vibe that seemed misplaced on the wet night, their blusier material always provided the hits and the Golden Plains set proved no different with Honeymoon Is Over, Better Get A Lawyer and Black Stick offering Tex an opportunity to show off his darker side.

After Tex and his men were done the crowd was well and truly ready to party and (having proved themselves worthy at Meredith’s past) Midnight Juggernauts were given the duty of making this happen. Having read mixed reviews of their reportedly drunken set at Falls Festival, I had low expectations of this Juggernaut’s set. How wrong I was to be. The Melbourne electro three piece put on a phenomenal set which saw frontman Vincent Vendetta sailing above the crowd in an inflatable boat. It was a fitting end to a wet, but wonderful weekend.

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