- Creamfields was already in full swing by the time we walked through the gates at 4pm. The sun was shining brightly onto the festival location which was set against the backdrop of a river, the sky was blue and every so often, we would be rewarded with a magnificent view of an aeroplane taking off from the nearby Liverpool airport. An estimated 33 000 people were in attendance to celebrate the last Bank Holiday before summer comes to an end. People were in a jovial mood and really, there was absolutely nothing that could stop us from having a wonderful time.
This year, Creamfields had a stellar line up of acts. However much we tried, it was unfortunate that we couldn't possibly catch every single act there was. Running from one area to another soon tire us out and it became a mission to even look for the toilets! And as it normally takes a while to get into a set, you don't want to leave just as you're starting to move. So my friends and I decided to selectively choose amongst ourselves what were the 'must-die' to see acts.
The Subliminal tent was the first one we checked out and it didn't take long for us to get moving to New Yorker Antranig's thumping set. Incidentally, Mr Danny Tenaglia himself has praised this DJ's talents. And he did live up to that praise. We then moved to the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix where we caught Argentinean Hernan Cattaneo began a dubby set. He soon built it up and by the time Coldplay's God Put A Smile On Your Face came on, the tent was packed and the energy amazing! Steve Lawler then took over with a dramatic vocals-infused opening and proceeded to bring us onto a fantastic tribal house journey. The vibes there were great and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We didn't stay too long and practically sprinted all the way to the Main Stage to catch the much anticipated Massive Attack performing live. And what a fantastic live act it was! They performed old and new tracks but the highlight for me has got to be listening to Teardrop and hearing what must be 30 000 others singing it along.
We then decided to try out one of those thrilling rides where we were spun and hurled about 40 metres in the air at 96 km/h. It was exhilarating, especially when our views were upside down and we were seeing the whole festival from a 360 degree angle. Ace!
We popped over at the Bugged Out Arena for superstars Chemical Brothers' DJ set. We had trouble entering the extremely crowded tent, so we just stood outside listening. Although they were great, I still prefer their live sets. We then walked back to the Subliminal tent and grooved to Terra Deva singing hit tracks Corruption and also Work with Erick Morillo spinning in the background.
For the remaining night, we dipped in and out of tents, had some food, rested and danced. Time passed so quickly. We didn't end up going for some of the acts we wanted to see for everything passed in a hazy blur of lights, people and music. Before we knew it, dawn was breaking and we were resting on the grass just outside the Subliminal tent. It was at this moment that the Audio Bullys Soundsystems ended their set with New Order's Blue Monday. It was just the perfect track for us to enjoy the remaining hour of the festival.
Not long after that, we made our way back to the bus. I didn't feel the entire 6 hour journey back to London as I was out cold! But I wasn't able to jump right into bed as I was looking forward to. My friends came up with this brilliant idea of checking out the Notting Hill Carnival and we did just that, albeit for a while. From a festival to the biggest street carnival, we saw London embracing and celebrating the colour and sounds of the Caribbean culture with great enthusiasm. We joined in the happy crowd and made our way up to Portobello Road where we decided we're in dire need of rest and so, we went home.