It was pretty warm on the Friday and even hotter on the Saturday, with many experiencing the dreaded wakingupinahottentsweats in the morning.

The official records are a little hazy, but this may have been the first year of the emergency announcements being played over the PA before the stage went live each day.

These days, Aunty receives requests for merch featuring text of the announcements, but it was a little less well received in 2012, with one publication suggesting in their review that it made them feel like they were dying in an emergency department of an underfunded hospital.

Pretty sure it hit 140 just before Grimes took to the stage though.

By the end, The Sup’ had gone full rave as she whipped through the Blood Diamond duet Phone Sex.

Grimes played and then stayed to play some more (on the other side of the stage barrier).

Earthless did something similar by other means, filling their set with just the two songs (and an 11 second gap in between) from their 2005 album Sonic Prayer. Space jam Sup’.

Friday night also featured the reformed Sunnyboys (who chose Meredith to play their first show in 22 years), Pond, Sophia Brous, Spiritualized, Tame Impala (on the back of Lonerism), Four Tet (on Supernatural debut) and the one and only Omar Souleyman, who took to the stage mere hours after learning that government airplanes had bombed his hometown of Ras al-Ayn in Syria.

Other highlights on the Saturday included The Toot Toot Toots, Saskwatch and, of course, Primal Scream bringing it Big Time.

But Saturday really belonged to the one and only Big Jay McNeely, who had his first hit in 1949, and took to the stage at the joyous age of 85.

Actually, he took to the Amphitheatre to start the set, blowing hard on his sax somewhere up the hill before making his way down to the front of the stage whilst leading the crowd though Ray Charles’ I Can’t Stop Loving You.

Wowee that was a big moment. One publication wrote after Meredith that they were unsure if Big Jay was actually there three songs in, as they hadn’t clocked that he was in the crowd and couldn’t see him on stage.

Ran 20 minutes over time and no one cared.

Stage banter of the weekend probably went to Turbonegro’s new lead singer, Tony Sylvester:

“This is just like Altamont. But full of web designers playing hackysack”.

What else?

It was the first year that the ice truck was up near the Meredith Eye, rather than being sold from the actual Tucker Tent. Has saved plenty of hard hill-trudging that move.

Reception was enlarged and improved to allow a smoother in and outflow.

The food courts were revamped in some way, but I can’t quite remember how. More food perhaps.

For The Gift we had the absurd pleasure of being able to welcome J.B. Smoove to MC the day and commentate the world’s stupidest foot race.

Things started off a little weird with J.B. showing a package of his Curb highlights on the screen, before it got even weirder when he got someone out of the crowd to impersonate him and read out the rules of The Gift, before arranging for said impersonator to make out with another crowd member on stage.

Wild times.

As for the race itself, it was the first year of the track being a full lap around The Sup’ rather than the old straight dash across the front of the stage.

It was about time the slow-twitch muscle dominant were given a chance to shine.

And it allowed far better viewing for far more of the crowd.

Meredith 2012 Photo Gallery

Here is some of  What Was Said about Meredith 2012:

Herald Sun – Meredith Music Festival 2012 – by Andrew Fenton

Mess + Noise – Report: Meredith 2012 Day 1 – by Darren Levin, Doug Wallen and Lawson Fletcher

Mess + Noise – Report: Meredith 2012 Day 2 – by Lawson Fletcher, Doug Wallen and Edward Sharp-Paul

Faster Louder – Day One: Meredith Music Festival @ The Supernatural Amphitheatre – by Edward Sharp-Paul

Faster Louder – Day Two and Three: Meredith Music Festival @ The Supernatural Amphitheatre – by Edward Sharp-Paul