The Big Day Out pulled in to town with an almighty thud boasting one of the better all round line-ups in the last couple of years. The day will be remembered by the sweltering and stifling thirty seven degree heat, over zealous security, long queues for everything, second rate food (on the verge of the lowest grade allowable for human consumption) and ridiculously loaded drink prices. Plus, you can’t forget the bogon factor and it seems like you can’t have a festival without them – where do these people live the rest of the year?

Despite the oppressive conditions and the challenges to survive the day I was determined to have a big and indeed I did. It all started with local champions Morals Of A Minor. Oh my god, these guys seriously have the goods and maybe there were a few music industry people in the crowd checking them out. Snowman are a band that continue to impress me each time they play. Their self-titled album is an underrated one and it is great to see many of these songs come alive during their set.

The Butterfly Effect pulled out a ripper on the main stage with songs like A Slow Descent and Gone going down a treat. There is plenty of criticism about Evermore being included on the bill but there is no argument that they have earnt their stripes. I’m definitely not a fan but their set was tight and they have plenty of catchy songs like that annoying tune from OC, which I refuse to mention.

The decisions of what and who to see next wasn’t an easy one but I won’t lose any sleep leaving out Scribe. I caught a quick glimpse of The Sleepy Jackson who were impressive before bolting back to the main stage for My Chemical Romance who are one of the most overrated bands on the bill. They do have a couple of good tunes by way of Welcome To The Black Parade and Famous Last Words but the rest is largely fodder in my opinion.

Triple J Hottest One Hundred runner-ups Eskimo Joe were in fine form belting out some rather likeable tunes including Sarah, Beating Like A Drum, New York and Black Fingers, Red Wine. Their set was loaded with gems proving that they can take it to the big stage and wow audiences.

Knowing that John Butler Trio was up next was all the incentive I needed to leave the main stage area. He is a noble man with an important message to ram down everyone’s throat but I can’t let my ears be subjected to this hippy shit. For my money Kasabian were the stand out act by a long way and I have to say that they well and truly blew me away. So many great songs one after another with Shoot The Runner, Reason Is Treason, Sun Rise Light Flies, Cut Off and Empire - it really doesn’t get any better than this.

If there was a prize for the band that was the most pompous and having their heads firmly wedged up their behind would have to go to The Killers. Don’t get me started about their lead singer Brandon Flowers. This second rate outfit did not impress me whatsoever. Sure, Hot Fuss was a brilliant album and when the hits such as Somebody Told Me, Smile Like You Mean It, Mr Brightside and All These Things That I’ve Done got an airing it did make their set tolerable. Their newer material is rank and lacking any real excitement for me.

Jet was pretty much take it or leave as they were quite bland and even the band looked disinterested and really lacked an ounce of spirit. They tend to fuck around with their songs making them far to long boring the pants off punters watching them. Gonna Be My Girl is a cracker but it’s a case of heard it all before.

My big regrets at this Big Day Out was missing out on The Vines, Something For Kate, Bob Evans, The Drones and Little Birdy who from all accounts were in ripping form – but it is impossible to squeeze everything in.

Muse weren’t really on my radar but the half an hour I saw was impressive. Their set was largely made up of tunes from Blackholes & Revelations. Knights Of Cydonia and Starlight were the icing on the cake for me. If any band captured the Big Day Out spirit that would be You Am I. They played like they were playing for their life wheeling out one of the best live sets I’ve ever seen them play. A good mix of old and new was just the tonic as the sun set in to the background. Their were a few jibes at Muse whose sound almost drowned out the Green Stage but that didn’t deter Tim Rogers from yelling ‘turn it down you prog rock c****’.

The most anticipated headline act in quite some time didn’t disappoint and the crowd went mental when Tool took to the stage. It’s been a while since these guys have visited our shores and they left their mark on the 2007 Big Day Out. The highlights from their set without a shadow of a doubt include Stinkfest, The Pot, 46 & 2, Lateralus and Anima. Going to check out some old hacks known as the Violent Femmes would only sour what was a pretty good day.

Big Day Out Photo Galleries: Punters, Bands