The one-day international cricket series may have dominated the back pages this summer, but to the 25,000 music lovers at the Claremont Showgrounds for the final installment of the 2006 Big Day Out, Australia’s premier one-day series has little to do with sport.

Without the heavy-hitting top order batsmen of years past, the crowd at this year’s event numbered well below the venue’s 36,000 capacity. Regardless, an exceptional middle order lineup ensured those present witnessed an impressive display from one of the strongest all-round lineups in the event’s history.

The top-order partnership of Detroit acts The White Stripes and Iggy and the Stooges formed the backbone of Team BDO, the pair reaching high scores in front of the day’s biggest crowds.

Despite surrendering his headline billing of 13 years ago to his Motor City neighbours, Iggy plays off the front foot and upstages his compatriots with relative ease. Despite choosing not to play every trick in his book – don’t expect anything from Raw Power – the veteran performer destroys the competition. While less experienced acts would buckle under pressure, ball-busting renditions of Loose, 1969, 1970 and I Wanna Be Your Dog ensure rock’s best-known stomach stays head and shoulders above everyone else on the bill. Though the set begins to drag a little towards the close, the band show they still have their punk edge, inciting a pitch invasion during No Fun before closing proceedings with an excellent reprise of I Wanna Be Your Dog.

The top-billed White Stripes have come a long way since their 2002 appearance at Australia’s favourite summer event, something clear from the elaborate stage setup, lighting rig and sizable array of instruments. Opening with Blue Orchid from 2005’s Get Behind Me Satan, the band kept the run-rate high from the off. Last time they came to the crease it was their youthful vigour that made them the discovery of the summer abut this time around the tone is completely different. Jack and Meg White bring a world-class rock show, belting the ball all around the ground with favourites Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground, Jolene and My Doorbell. Unfortunately, the spectacular and grandiose style doesn’t always work, and after one too many risky shots, they’re caught out.

In the White Stripes’ place comes Belgian act 2ManyDJs, who fuse every conceivable style of play into a truly mesmerising 90-minute stand. Opening with a cheeky cut from fellow Big Day Out stars Franz Ferdinand, the pair take the rhythm up, down and everywhere in between. Blending Olivia Newton-John’s Let’s Get Physical into Primal Scream classic Rocks stands out as the Boiler Room crowd adjusts to the new outdoor setting. After tearing through The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up, Blur’s Song 2 and ACDC’s timeless _You Shook Me All Night Long, the world’s best DJs blow the non-existent roof sky high as they cap their set off with Wolfmother’s Woman.

Though the experience of Iggy and the Stooges is the order of the day, relative newcomers Franz Ferdinand notch up an impressive score with an hour’s worth of hits. Breaking their Perth duck, the Glaswegian foursome get off to a straight-shooting start with Jacqueline (“it’s so much better on holiday” – of course) and Do You Want To? before hitting us all for six with The Dark of the Matinée and Take Me Out back-to-back.

While those at the Green Stage see 12th man Henry Rollins launch a sledging offensive on US President George W Bush, the majority of the festival crowd obviously prefers the fun festival vibe of Franz’s danceable guitar pop. After showing off the more delicate of their repertoire of strokes in Eleanor Put Your Boots On, the band continue their blitz with Michael and 40’ before wrapping up with This Fire.

Slightly below Franz Ferdinand in the pecking order are crowd favourites The Living End, whose trademark punk-rockabilly is a hit with the Orange Stage crowd. The trio give their all, but while some of the song titles may be different, their set sounds much the same as the one they’ve been playing for years. They may have got away with this set in 1999 and possibly even 2003, but it’s 2006 and it is high time these boys learned some new tricks.

This year’s Big Day Out’s best assets are arguably in the lineup’s middle order, as countless up-and-comers fight for selection. Young enough to be Iggy Pop’s grandchildren, The Subways set the Essential Stage alight with highlights from debut album Young for Eternity. The tail end of their set shows why they were a surprise inclusion this year: Mary and City Pavement stand out, before the English threesome close with crowd favourite _Rock & Roll Queen. Similar to guitar pop heroes Ash in the mid-to-late 1990s – they have SG guitars, a cute girl called Charlotte and a song called Oh Yeah – these guys are bursting with potential and will no doubt be back.

Also hailing from the home of the Ashes, Brighton newcomers The Go! Team put on the performance of the day, despite the majority of the crowd opting to head to Kings of Leon instead. Their set fumbles somewhat in the early stages – unnecessary vocals on ‘instrumental’ opener Panther Dash and Get it Together confuse rather than impress – but as they continue, the eclectic pop collective get their act together and win the crowd over. The banjo/harmonica combination of Everyone’s a VIP to Someone provides the turning point as the crowd loosens up and reacts, much to the band’s delight. Bottle Rocket, Junior Kickstart and We Just Won’t Be Defeated lift the mood, while the sing-along in Huddle Formation and then set closer Ladyflash get every mouth smiling and every pair of feet dancing.

Joining The Go! Team in the middle order, The Magic Numbers, Sleater-Kinney, Sarah Blasko and The Grates help dilute the beer and testosterone levels in today’s lineup. The Magic Numbers’ catchy tunes and sweet harmonies go down well, though some noise from the End of Fashion on the poorly-positioned Green Stage spoils some of the quieter moments. Sleater-Kinney, who pre-date the bassless indie-rock trend (attention: Jack and Meg White), play their first Perth show before a modest crowd but struggle to impress the casual observers as the wind makes the mixer’s job a tough one.

On the main stage, Wolfmother are proving a tidy addition to Australia’s starting XI, winning the T-shirt contest with ease. Their set comes with no surprises – the guy in the vest with the afro sings a bunch of Led Zeppelin songs with different lyrics – but the booze-fuelled throng laps up Woman, Apple Tree and Mind’s Eye, consolidating the trio’s newfound place on Australian rock’s A-list.

The boozy atmosphere around the main stages continued after Wolfmother, as the Hilltop Hoods and Kings of Leon braved the scorching heat in front of the sweating masses. With home-grown hip-hop now a permanent fixture, the Hilltop Hoods no longer have a point to prove and seem more comfortable than ever on the large stage. They receive a massive ovation as they close their set with crowd-pleaser The Nosebleed Section. Kings of Leon also make the most of their promotion to the main stage, opening with Molly’s Chambers before impressing with tighter-than-their-jeans renditions of Holy Roller Novocaine and Soft.

No doubt there were misses as well as hits – the withdrawal of Mylo and AFI the most obvious – but all in all, the understated lineup of the 2006 Big Day Out was a major factor in its success. Smaller and friendlier crowds helped keep the mood positive, while the lack of rock heavyweights left room on the bill for some promising newcomers.