overview

Renowned for being one of, if not the best UK dance Festival, this year Creamfields moved to a new location – the Daresbury Estate in Halton, Cheshire & increased its capacity to 45,000 punters. While being a big fan of the Music Festival & having never really taken to the Rave scene (I can’t do the dancing), I was curious to see how well the two were able to marry together.

The first thing I noticed was the impracticalities of dancewear in a sloping cow field - forget glow sticks, goose bumps were the accessory du jour. Many girls were obviously suffering in their pink bikini tops, fairy wings & fluffy boots on what felt like an evening with a temperature of about -10c (with wind chill factor). Wading through the puddles of mud that had formed not just because of the occasional light shower earlier in the afternoon, but because of all the people urinating against the fences also could not have been much fun for those who had not come dressed for the outdoors.

Also noticeable was the very large Police presence. With cops of dirt bikes, in four wheel drives, sniffer dogs & even several members of the armed response unit on site, it was obvious that organisers were being extremely careful to try & make sure the event ran smoothly. Normal event security guards seemed to be left with nothing to do but direct traffic in & out of tents which they did with alarming ferocity.

The first acts began performing at 3pm & the first DJ to take to the podium in the Cream tent was 23 year old Liverpool native, Chris Pollock. The visibly excited young performer began his set to three photographers, his parents & girlfriend but with an otherwise empty venue. Ten minutes in however & Chris had drawn several thousand festival goers under the huge blue marquee to begin a marathon 15 hour dance session.

The Cream tent was the largest under cover venue on site & the DJ setup was so high some of the performers must have got nose bleeds. This venue played host to some of the biggest names of the night including Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold & Paul Van Dyk & it remained packed from early evening onwards to the point you could barely get near it, let alone inside.

In contrast, the main stage was left strangely underutilised. With Gnarls Barkley pulling out at the last minute due to illness, indie-pop band The Zutons, Golfrapp & the Prodigy were the only performers to play on it that were of any interest.

The Zutons very wisely began their set with some of their better known tunes including Pressure Point & Why Won’t You Give me Your Love & after putting the crowd at ease with familiar songs, went on to perform their hearts out for almost an hour. With the more mainstream & radio friendly Zutons tunes going down so well with the crowd, perhaps Creamfields should consider adding more pop bands to the bill next year.

With nine stages to choose from, there was an overwhelming amount of choice, but two of the best performances of the day for me were Simian Mobile Disco & Coldcut, both playing in the Strongbow Ciderhouse. While things became messier outside as the evening wore on, the vibe in that venue seemed to remain happy & relaxed.

Simian Mobile Disco are an electro-rock duo that look like the dance world’s equivalent of Wayne & Garth from Wayne’s World. Their biggest song ‘Never be alone’ got their crowd very excited & it’s a fantastic tune which unfortunately was somewhat ruined by the fact I heard it mixed into other people’s sets about 16 times over the course of the evening.

Dance music innovators Coldcut have been around for a long time now but their DIY cut-up technique still sounds fresh - mixing dance music samples with Political speeches, songs from the Jungle Book, Can-Can Music & AC/DC’s Back in Black among other sources.

The duo is comprised of DJ’s Matt Black & Jonathan More & perhaps because hip hop is a large inspiration on their sound, they aren’t afraid to make statements with their music. Also performing with Coldcut were two VJ’s & an MC. It was a shame that they played so early in the afternoon, as the graphics were mainly lost on the screens. They would have made more of an impact after dark & with such a strong set; they deserved to be higher up the bill.

Alison Goldfrapp & band hit the main stage just after 8pm & after a wobbly start, played a set of both recent & older material. At times getting lost on such a big stage, the performance was held together by the costumed dancers that had increased in number from the usual two to four.

Mylo began his one and half hour set at 8.30, not long after Goldfrapp began their performance on at the main stage. I only stayed for about half an hour, as there was so much going on at the same time. During that short period though, the (extremely attractive) DJ played what sounded like newer material & he looked to be enjoying himself immensely. I’d love to tell you how the fans were reacting to the set, or even how many were there, but I would have needed infra red goggles to see anything – the Chibuku tent being the worst lit of all the stages.

Come 9pm I had to make a choice - stay at Mylo, go back to catch the end of Goldfrapp, or go see DJ Shadow or Paul Oakenfold. The choice for me was clear; none of the above. I headed back to the Strongbow Stage hoping to catch Australian duo The Presets who were due to showcase their dirty electro sound to the masses. The Strongbow stage at this point had become the island of tranquility for many punters because it was the only raised building with a proper floor. Perfect for those (especially a lot of women) who were sick of fighting through the crowds & getting their inappropriate footwear muddy.

After making my way to the side of the stage, I could see Kim & Julian from the band behind a makeshift curtain, frantically putting their instruments together. Half an hour later, it was clear that I had chosen unwisely, as the band were yet to start & I had endured 30 minutes of the most bland, safe & uninspiring dance music courtesy of a DJ going by the moniker of Charlotte. Besides the three young kids who had placed themselves front row centre in anticipation of the Presets, I was really curious to see how the rest of the crowd would take the dramatic change of pace when it came. Unfortunately, I had to leave in order to wade back through the piss puddles to the Main stage in time for The Prodigy.

The Prodigy came on stage & assaulted the audience aurally & they loved it. Keith paced the stage spitting & swearing while Maxim theatrically picked fights with the audience. Sure, they sounded pretty good.... Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t it time that the guys got some new material? I just see a danger in the group becoming a bit of a parody of themselves - a nostalgia act with attitude.

The Beatdown tent played host to some great acts over the course of the day including No Fakin DJs & Killa Kella, but Scratch Perverts were not one of them. Talk about disappointment. Who wants to hear a lame MC repeating the words of classic urban tunes over the top of the original record? Lazy.

Sick of barging through the crowds & tripping over the Strongbow sample cups that covered the ground (where were the bins?) it was time to get a bit exclusive & head for the VIP tent to take in New Order Bassist Peter Hook’s DJ set. With a red carpet, topiary planters & pinball tables, the Hospitality area was a very relaxed affair with Hook jumping around between shaking hands with punters & spinning classic tunes, including Joy Division & New Order tracks.

With curfew not until 6am, which seemed like a week away I’m afraid it was at this point I started to lag.

I had been keen to take in sets by Digitalism & 2Many DJs among others, but with set times starting to fall way out of synch & such an amazingly long walk between stages & the car park, it was at this point I decided to head for the exit.

Watching people trudging down the road for miles like weary refugees before coming to any form of civilisation made you realise how remote the venue was. Hopefully public transport links will be improved for next year. Perhaps a few more toilets as well.

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