Creamfields 2007 - Mark Ronson,Groove Armada,Chemical Brothers,Kelis,Ladytron,New Young Pony Club,Pendulum,The Whip Live Review @ Daresbury Estate (Cheshire) - 25 Aug 2007

Live Review

Destroy Everything You Touch displays an anarchic thrust and a fatter synth led sound. Their stage presence, as ever, relies upon a distant mystique and is maybe the reason why this their first appearance, at what was for years their home festival? The prize for best crowd buoyancy, if one existed, would undoubtedly go to the commercial beat-ster and trance flirter, Marco V. The Dutchman’s uplifting and masterful beat building sends the crowd at the Cream and Goodgreef Stage into ruptures of euphoria. More Than A Life Away, sticks out for its intergalactic kick and distorted vocal approach, serving as a reminder of Marco’s catchy potency.

The burning question to be answered this year surrounds the appearance of NU-Ravers, New Young Pony Club. How will the old-skool, Cream faithful respond to this craze? Well, the modest turnout in the Chibuku Stage suggests that they’re not quite ready to nurture this new baby. Given the lofty stage position and its distance away from the crowd the electric personality of Tahita Bulmer doesn’t connect easily with gatherers. The laid back lounge touch of Grey makes full use of her clear, streetwise vocal lag. Whereas, the provocative and punchy single Ice Cream, creates only a stir in the crowd as oppose to the ruptures it probably created at the Reading/Leeds Festival.

A slot on the Ciderhouse Tent, with its welcoming beer garden shows that you are going places. Disco Funk-sters The Whip, with their forceful percussion approach fattening out the whirling beats, go against the commonly held view that the tents here aren’t really set up for live bands.

Veterans Groove Armada use an old skool approach, featuring an MC stirring the crowd up and classic, posing tunes like I See You Baby (Shaking That Ass) to get the main-stage jiving. Whereas, the Chemical Brothers perform in fits and starts, even the brazen rave anthem of Hey Boy Hey Girl doesn’t hit its usual peak. They seem to fall into a bit of a lazy groove after the Budweiser Ad’s famed Galvanise. Pendulum seem the perfect act to kick off the frenzy in the tents and even pick up where the Chems should have left off. It must have been Pendulum’s driving Drum N’ Bass edge of their early days that earned them such a prestigious slot, but they seem reluctant to return to it. A laid back lounge approach and flitting jumps to synth led frenzies still seems to please, though.

Whilst the line-up was not as strong as previous years, those who purchased tickets due to Daft Punk’s inclusion in the line-up, didn’t seem too despondent that they couldn’t make it. The overall impression of the dance scene judging from the exit murmurings of revellers, is that Trance is the new Rock N’ Roll, again.

David Adair