Homelands Kicks off Summer 2004!

Aysha Tupman - 31 May 2004

35,000 festival-goers proved that positive mental attitude can keep drizzle at bay, as a few drops struggled down but was not enough to keep people off the grass. The summer has officially kicked off!

If the first official outdoor festival of the summer was anything to go by, we're in for some treats this year!

Homelands' main line-up, positioned in the Live Arena, saw Dilated Peoples, Lamb, The Music, Freestylers and the Scissor Sisters giving the ravers the musical injection that they have been waiting for for the last 6 months. Of course though, it was Faithless who packed the tent to more-than-maximum and left some disappointed people standing outside the tent... still dancing...

In a change from previous years, Homelands this year added a hip-hop tent which proved to be hugely popular. After superstar rappers Rodney P and Skitz, the Scratch Perverts and Killa Kella, came Mercury-award winning Dizzee Rascal. By late evening Grand Master Flash, followed by legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, were playing to a 4,000-strong crowd of sweating, heaving bodies. TY and his live band gave a monumental performance which lingered somewhere between hiphop, jazz and rock and his appearance into the crowd at the end of the set made the hip hop tent a buzzing, personal and enjoyable place to be.

In arena 1, Seb Fontaine, 2manyDJs and Felix da Housecat dropped some huge beats to keep the party rocking. Plump DJs' set, broadcast live on Radio 1's Essential mix, saw the last of the lively crowds before the event began to wind down. Some disgustingly heavy breaks and Blondie's 'I feel love' as the last track made for an unforgettable set.

Elsewhere, the Movement tent proved that Drum n' Bass has not yet died - in fact it seems to be going from strength to strength, as proved by a line-up of 18 DJs and 8 MCs. It was this tent that was still rocking out and getting fuller and fuller as most of us were beating a hasty retreat over the hill as it hit 5.30am.

With the vibe giving way to daylight, Homelands proved that the festival season had started in earnest. Long live Summer 2004.