Creamfields 2003

Untimely engineering work on the Midland railways hindered but did not deplete the procession of excited clubbers streaming across Speke Airfield towards the tents of Creamfields 2003. Low frequency sound waves rumbled like distant thunder across the waving grass long before we arrived at the gates.

Anxious to make up for 2 hours lost on crowded motorways our first port of call was Stanton Warriors in the Main arena. With their unique vocal arsenal of tough electro breakbeats and garage they warmed up the growing audience. After taking in the reverse bungee and amusement rides bristling with shrieking fans obviously not content with viewing the festival from terra firma, it was then time for U.N.K.L.E. Sounds to entertain with funky house and intense breakbeats. With everyone well in the mood for physical exertion Nick Warren next took it upon himself to harness the stage's impressive setup. And the impact of his deep house and chunky breakbeats hit us like a tidal wave of bass facilitated easily by the massive speaker stacks. The time for dancing had well begun by the time the sterling 'Ajave' announced the DJ's intentions.

As dusk approached, a moment was taken to savour the pulsing atmosphere, low-flying jets taking off nearby roared into flat, low clouds that reflected the spotlights like a giant disco ball skittering around a vast, natural grey ceiling. Relocation to the Subliminal tent was rewarded with local Cream resident Yousef imparting some extremely funky house which was obviously popular with the girls. Perhaps not surprising then that it was a full house. After emerging sweating already from the grassy enclosure it was time for a change of pace. Back at location numero uno, by the time the packed main arena welcomed Massive Attack with nigh on hysteria, the darkness highlighted the huge screen beaming out colourful visuals, crowd shots and political messages. There were often a couple of good reasons for the cameraman to catch abreast a cheeky flash from an enthusiastic crowd-surfing glamour girl. Before long 'Mezzanine' and other classic tunes new and old had couples swaying gently and everyone singing along, whilst the performance of 'Unfinished Symphony' had faces everywhere smiling.

Finally opting for more upbeat material, there was movement on the ranch towards the Essential Mix corral where Timo Maas was belting out Cream anthems with gusto aptly reflecting the hardcore theme resonating throughout the grounds. Wandering through the stomping, gurning throng to the Radio 1 outdoor stage we witnessed Mauro Picotto laying down driving Ibiza beats, mixing uplifting trance with wicked bass lines. 'I Feel Love' was still ringing in our heads when the Cream arena ushered us into the presence of the nights' standout performer, DJ Tiesto. The smiling Dutchman wasted no time in taking the crowd on a fascinating journey through synthesised melodies to progressive, hard trance culminating in a flurry of arm-pumping ecstasy attributable to the spine-tingling tracks 'Suburban Train' and his joint mix of Picotto's 'Pulsar'.

Senses reeling after Tiesto's wonder set, it was off to the Bugged Out arena to catch the other main festival drawcard, the Chemical Brothers. The first 30 minutes did much to justify the jammed environs, with cracking techno and block rockin' beats whipping the crowd into a frenzy of heaving humanity. The entrance of a rather lacklustre female vocal and dance act quickly resulted in migration to the main enclosure for Paul Oakenfold's familiar blend of euphoric trance and Ministry of Sound anthems. A brief foray en-route into the MixMag Future Heroes tent produced a surprising find in Lee Foster, creating a dancefloor storm of techno trance with a tangible hard house bite. Soon it was time to start pacing the night, disbelief registering that it was already 1am! Being a dedicated raver holds certain responsibilities however, and the only concession to tiring legs was Paul Van Dyk's trancey offering, epitomised by 'Tell Me Why (The Riddle)' featuring St Etienne. Inevitably the rising beats per minute drove us to temporary refuge in the Essential Mix studio with Sasha, a decidedly lower tempo expressed in part by the classic 'Xpander'. The veteran DJ did not disappoint with a series of transcendental synth and other progressive trance, but one's feet were soon itching to move up a gear.

A greater contrast could not be found than in the Frantic and Nukleuz Hardware arena where Lab 4 took tyrannical control. Relentlessly unleashing pounding hard house and evil riffs, the dynamic dread-locked duo soon had the fainthearted hurting and the faithful dancing like they were trying to break out of a bubble. There was no escaping their hammering delivery of 'Candyman' and the new 'Requiem' as the ground shuddered under the barrage.

A feeling of self-preservation guided us next to Tall Paul's domain but again it was the MixMag arena that stole the show, surely presenting a Future Hero in DJ Shan, best known from GoodGreef and Judgement Sundays. Extracting stamina from bodies thought bereft of energy was easily accomplished by his skillful working of three turntables including a CD deck. Trance with hard house flavour expressed via ruthless beats bespoke a talent to watch out for. By 4:30am the attendance was flagging, but perhaps this was from perusal of the program to select what DJ would take us to the sunrise.

Fitting from what was an inexorable array of unyielding hard dance, it was Fergie in the Cream arena that played a blinding final set. Protégé and friend of the late, legendary Tony De Vit he worked the decks flawlessly. Seeing the crowd going mental seemed to inspire him to spin more uncompromising hard house and trance records. Such was the charged mood at his closing track the inevitable chants of "one more, Fergie!" rang through the suddenly quiet air. When the only result was the throwing of vinyls, CD's and equipment into the appreciative crowd it was clearly time to head blinking into the morning sunlight to reflect on this awesome dance extravaganza.

While trudging back to the station in a world of ringing silence, the sight of enthusiasts setting up tents and sleeping in cars reiterated the reluctance we all felt at having to leave. The August Bank holiday in 2004 is surely already scheduled for Liverpool's next class offering of Creamfields. The grassy utopia on the Speke airfield is eagerly awaited next year!