Checklist for Homebake: Sunscreen, hat, sunnies, headache tablets, water, set-list, map…. DAMN IT! I knew I forgot something!

So the first half hour I spent trying to find Artist Services, getting dodgy directions from security guards that don’t know how to read maps. Police sniffer dogs were out in force and I actually saw someone sniffed out of the line by a dog wagging it’s tail in enraptures.

Finally found Artist Services after a lap and a bit of the Ddomain and dashed through the gates and over to the Dome Stage to catch the last 15 minutes of British India’s set. After hearing plenty of great things about them, I wasn’t disappointed. Nick Wilson and Declan Melia were in top form competing with each other as to who had the most outlandish stage antics. The crown went to Nick Wilson though, with some good old-fashion ‘teeth-playing’. The crowd roared it’s approval. It was pop-rock at it’s best – catchy, engaging and had punters eager to get their days started dancing with full beer cans held above their heads with some intense booty wagging.

Next up was Melbourne’s quartet and much hyped Kisschasy. Opening their set with the new single Hearing Voices Tonight, fans were jumping while the temperature started to soar and sunburn made it’s start on virgin skin. Darren Cordeux gave a touching little half cover of Ronan Keating’s, You Say It Best When You Say Nothing At All, which had half the audience singing along and the other half yelling abuse at them, before finishing the set with their first single Do-Do’s & Whoa-Oh’s.

Local act Expatriate’s Ben King gave a shout out prior to playing The Spaces Between - their latest single getting major air-time at the moment – for a ‘little dance’. With one of the catchiest 80s style tunes on the radio today, crowd participation to Ben’s request was at a maximum. The sound-techs really out-did themselves with this set. The echo effects on Damien Press’ keyboards were outstanding especially considering it was only the second act for the day on the Dome Stage.

Distortion galore accompanied Jed Kurzel to the Main Stage along with a thumping good drumming from Cec Condon of the Mess Hall. Jed used the stage to his advantage playing up to the on-stage camera-man and wished Cec a happy birthday. Cec responded that he had just found out he’d done really well in the HSC. Nirvana’s Breed made an appearance which was welcomed half with cheers and half with groans, however Pills was met with some serious get down dirty dancing, jumping and all round craziness.

End of Fashion came to stage with Oliver Jao Smith pleading with fathers to lock up their hot daughters before he got himself into trouble. Sorry Oliver no can do.

Architecture in Helinski gave us plenty of harmonies on an overcrowded stage and far too much talking in between songs that didn’t hold their audiences attention for long.

Heavy dark rain clouds came over looking threatening so it was time to make my way to the Big Top to catch my first glimpse of the Rogue Traders. They started up with a rocky riff and Natalie Bassingthwaighte strutted onto stage to an on-slaught of wolf whistles – and to the male punters credit – she looked great! For my first Traders experience, Natalie’s sometimes grunty singing impressed me but would like to hear them with better sound as a lot of the time her voice was drowned out.

Last opportunity for Sydneysiders to check out The Scare was at the Hopetoun Stage. There is only one way to describe their onstage presence – hectic. Luke Reid let Sydney have it with his usual messy display and was on stage less than two minutes before launching into his adoring fans and disappearing from the stage for almost a full song. Wade Keighran - The Scare’s newest member took this as an opening to show off his pounding bass lines.

The Hot Lies were up next and pulled the most attractive emo-crowd I’ve seen in quite some time. Launching into their set with the abandon that has won them the title of the ‘next-big-thing’ in the Australian screamo/hardcore scene and the ska circle broke out with abandon.

A quick run over to the Main Stage was next to see the band that everyone was here for – Wolfmother. Last year they took the first slot of the day on the Main Stage with a barely there crowd, this year they had the total and utter devotion of perhaps 80% of the Homebake punters. I got caught up in the mosh in the middle of Dimension and was picked up and surfed to the front before I passed out. I stood on the side (thanks to the all-access passes I had) and watched the crowd go crazy and counted five ska circles operating at one time. The guys gave the performance of their lives with Andrew dressed up to the nines in white stovepipe jeans showing off his skinny legs dedicating Woman to all the ‘non-dudes’.

The Living End kicked off their set with Second Solution which in anyone’s living room is an automatic head bopper. Live was absolute chaos. The crowd got swept up in an ‘End’ frenzy – as one punter described it to me – and danced, skanked, jumped and screamed all the songs at the top of their lungs. The set was peppered with favourites Roll On, Prison of Society and finished up with a fully extended version of West End Riot.

A quick bite to eat was had from the delicious Gozleme tent whilst listening to the catchy beats of The Cat Empire when I heard in the distance a familiar jingle jangle of guitars which I finally recognised as Weather With You, which launched me into a run over the Main Stage to watch the Finn Brothers, united and proving to the world this – rocking – was what they did best. The set was littered with Crowded House and Split Enz classics, and ending the set with Four Season in One Day. Quite a few punters were disappointed not to hear Better Be Home Soon but made up for it by singing a rendition of their own to finish their long, tiring but inspiring day.

All up a fantastic day well deserving on its title ‘The Honours Year’.