Maybe it was those past years of extreme weather that saw fewer faithful than usual at last weekend's Golden Plains festival. The event failed to sell out (for the first time in its five years) but this created a huge upside for those who attended - less people meant ease of movement around the festival, more space in the arena, and shorter queues (although a lack of ice on Sunday morning meant the queue built up until it extended across the food court and somehow went around a tree twice).

All in all, it was a perfect Plains, kicked off in ideal fashion on a sunshining Saturday arvo by Sonny & The Sunsets, whose upbeat '60s-infused guitar pop followed a traditional "long blink" from wheelchair-bound festival founder Chris Nolan to get things going.

We were all certainly glad to be back on the Nolan's farm when pub-rock legends Cosmic Psychos fired up next. If a band really impresses the Plains audience, they traditionally receive The Boot, which involves everyone holding one of their shoes/boots/thongs aloft in salute. It was too early to make such a call, but the Cosmics were awesome, and so they received The Hat - a kind of silver medal, if you will. The band responded by mooning the audience jovially.

Things were much tamer for the rest of the afternoon. Justin Townes Earle was joined by a fiddle player for some old-school country story tellin', while Joanna Newsom was the very definition of whimsical as she plucked her harp and meandered through her intricately arranged pieces, holding many of the crowd in the palm of her hand, but certainly not satisfying the majority.

It wasn't until the sun went down and Brazilian veterans Os Mutantes took to the stage that the party really got started. Theirs was a set in sonic technicolour, spiced with South American flavours, McCartney-esque melodies and cranking guitar solos. The suggestion they were the Brazilian version of Wings (meant in a good way) wasn't far off the mark.

Brooklyn indie-rockers The Hold Steady followed with a spirited and invigorating performance, led by the animated spoken word ranting of frontman Craig Finn. It paved the way for even more rock, as Airbourne swept on stage, amps piled to the ceiling, to blast their way through the witching hour.

The former Warrnamboolians always put on a helluva show, and they didn't disappoint, despite Joel O'Keeffe's voice sounding well and truly shredded these days and the band's stage antics feeling a little rehearsed. Still, they rocked the amphitheatre and were a hard act for Wavves and the customary early morning DJs to follow.

After a much-appreciated six hour set from festival regulars Silence Wedge (who do the best silence ever), Sunday morning began with Graveyard Train, fresh from the Port Fairy Folk Festival the night before. They reminded us that one day we're all going to die so we may as well have a good time - a sentiment that received a rousing response.

Their alt-country singalongs were another perfect start to the day, although a few members of the Musicology brains trust noted that Graveyard Train were so good that it seemed a shame for them to be on so early (only the truly hearty are up at 10am on day two).

Boy & Bear, considering their ever-rising Triple J-fuelled status were also on surprisingly early, but they filled the sun-baked pre-noon arena with everyone who wasn't asleep or in the line for ice, coffee or a shower. They indulged in some new material and had people comin' a'runnin' when they fired up that Crowded House cover.

Wildbirds & Peacedrums, with their stripped-back set-up, won many fans, and the moody folk sounds of The Middle East were very welcome.

But the biggest surprise came when one of the Musicology brains trust suggested we check out 'screamo' band Pulled Apart By Horses on the Sunday arvo. Turned out they weren't quite screamo, falling on the alt-rock/hardcore side of the line. What really mattered though was that they were awesome, delivering a non-stop set of pounding riffs, intricate arrangements and some jaw dropping guitar work, as well as being great fun. It culminated in The Boot from the audience and frontman Tom Hudson responded by jumping onto the crowd at the finish of the set and proceeding to crowd-surf for the next 10 minutes, travelling all the way to the back of the arena, being given drinks as he cruised along on a sea of hands, welcomed like a returning war hero everywhere he went. Pulled Apart By Horses were the pick of the festival, and everyone's good moods were perpetuated by the between-set antics, tunes and dance moves of Rainbow Connection DJs.

The afternoon continuted with well-received sets from Best Coast, Robert Forster and massively voiced Imelda May, but the big name of the festival was Belle & Sebastian. The Scottish twee-popsters did exactly what they promised - played "nursery rhymes for wayward boys and girls who haven't grown up" - but it wasn't exactly the Sunday night party-starter most were looking for.

That responsibility fell to DJ/soul singer Jamie Lidell, who pumped things up perfectly for Architecture In Helsinki.

AiH were the band of the night, mixing new material - including their spectacular new single Contact High - with old favourites. That Beep seemed to be the biggest crowd pleaser, drawing unanimous cheers and dancing, only to be topped by their set-closer Heart It Races.

The much-vaunted Hawkwind - a relic from the acid-rock days of the late '60s/early '70s - came with high expectations and, for the people on the right drugs, they didn't disappoint. For those not on acid, the show was a vaguely hilarious Spinal Tap-ish mix of doomy metal and mantra-ish psychedelia. For those on acid, it was one hell of a trip.

In fact, that's probably a good way to some up another extremely successful Golden Plains festival - one hell of a trip.