Meredith Saturday was a scorcher. A dry, thick, pervasive heat that – like the bush fires raging in rural Victoria – never looked like letting up. The centigrade was pushing mid-30, while a haze hovered in the distance like Californian smog. Occupying the 11am slot was Snowman who hail from sunny Perth. The irony wasn’t lost on anyone – least of all the guy behind me in a Bros T-shirt. Unlike the City of Ballarat Municipal Brass Band who began the day with regimented aplomb, Snowman sent abrasive shards through the audience. They screamed like banshees (the real kind, not Siouxsie’s ilk) and made arty noise from theremins, violins and other things that squealed. It was like having razorblades for breakfast. The crowd was responsive if not bemused – it was a weird timetabling decision at a festival which would later sandwich The Drones between a DJ set by Kid Koala and a 10-piece salsa group (complete with conga line). But it worked. Last year it was Eddy Current Suppression Ring who, like a perfectly-spiced Bloody Mary, shook off the Saturday shakes with their clever fusion of Wire and the Saints. This year it was Snowman’s turn to use paint stripper – and it was just as effective.

by Darren Levin