It was one of those days that could deliver, or fall well short of the mark. To some extent, it managed to achieve both. When a name like Creamfields comes to town, with a hell of a reputation that comes before it, you cannot help but be a little bit excited. One glance at the calibre of acts that have filled previous billings all across the world, and crowds that have exceeded 50,000 people in some countries, and that excitement is palpable. Having decided it was being brought to Sydney, there was many a Sydney punter interested to see how it would all transpire.

Unfortunately for many, but on the plus side for those that like the same old, the venue was chosen as Hordern Pavilion and the surrounding Fox Studio areas; much like Stereosonic and We Love Sounds. For those hoping that Cream- fields would transpire into wide open spaces, lush green surrounds and the ability to run around outside, they would be disappointed, as it would not be happening here. Then again, given that it we had officially dipped into May and winter had begun to bite, maybe there was some method to this madness.

Despite that, as the Sydney afternoon sun beamed down on Saturday, there were many rolling around in the one grass expanse that was available. Let’s hope that is noted for future reference. As said sun beamed down on the concrete surrounds of the Planet Hardware, local boy Nic Scali cranked out the techno and although playing to only a few keen punters, he opened up proceedings and did it well.

Daniel Lupica and Garry Todd followed, and by the time Balance 014 hero Joris Voorn stepped up to the plate at 2pm, the crowd was in solid appreciation. The only shame on this stage was perhaps the atmosphere; namely, there was very little. The crowd barely made it into three figures, and the sound already showed signs of being problematic.

Elsewhere on the Cream Stage, Ashley Wallbridge dished out a surprisingly fun set. Not known for his DJing but for more for his production, the young Brit showed why he is fast establishing himself as one of the rising stars in trance. As far as early sets go, it was worthy of the early arrival. He provided a nice segue into Australian wunderkid trance DJ, tyDi who was not afraid to let loose a touch, and banged it out, surprising some, but disappointing few.

On the Main Stage – or tent, rather – Lifelike was dishing out some serious French electro, and the numbers in the sun swelled. Good tunes, good weather, and a generally good vibe. No massive numbers made for general ease, whether it was getting around, queues for bars, and similarly for toilets. Many rolled around on the grass as the crowd continued to trickle in. When LFMAO took over, well, many were not quite sure what the hell was happening. It was that bad, that the less that can be said about it, the better.

In the Outrage room, also indoors in the Byron Kennedy Hall, Tommie Sunshine dished out some seriously dirty electro house. Lots of cheese, and plenty of banging stuff. The kids, and I use that term with full meaning, lapped it up. It would set the mark for the style of music to emanate from that room for the entire day, up to and including the final act – MSTRKRFT – as well as the general state of the people in it.

Back on the main stage, the man that many had come to see was chanted on stage to shouts of “Ferry, Ferry, Ferry”. With Steve Angello being a late withdrawal due to family health concerns, many hoped that it would enable Ferry Corsten to play just that little bit longer. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but the Dutchman did what he does best and absolutely nailed it. He showed his versatility yet again, and confirmed that regardless of the time allocated to him, whether it’s a festival or a Ferry only set, he judges the crowd perfectly.

Tracks like the epic Out of the Blue, his new release Pulse and the banging Radio Crash and L.E.F. sent the crowd into a frenzy, while the Maarten de Jong remix of the Coldplay tune The Scientist made a few scratch their heads, it contrarily sent others into a state of heightened PLUR. His 90 minutes over, Dirty South stepped up and proceeded to pump out the first of his two hours of his anthem-loaded brand of house.

Back on the trance stage in the Hordern, Sean Tyas went some way to making up for his dull performance at Trance Energy last year, and showed us what he really is capable of. Backed up by Filo and Peri, it provided a nice continuation of the trance frenzy that Ferry had started. Signed to the Paul van Dyk label Vandit, it was no surprise the duo dropped quite a few of the label’s productions, the epic For An Angel sending many into hysteria. Marco V would close the room in true Marco V style – banging it out loud and taking absolutely no prisoners.

Back in the carpark that was the Planet Hardware ‘stage’, Steve Rachmad was working his magic well, and keeping spirits high despite the setting sun, and provided a nice foundation for Riva Starr to go off, but by the time Dave Clarke had taken over, the problems on the sound front were fast becoming cringe-worthy. No bass, and far too much crackling from the speakers. Clarke would later opine on his Twitter of “technical problems that I [he] have never had before. Sydney I tried, damn”. Indeed he did, and as he dished tunes like Selfish Bass and his own Wisdom to the Wise, techno fans lapped it up but couldn’t help but wonder what might have been.

Over at the main stage, the crowd kept relaxing, although given the lack of enthusiasm coming from Green Velvet, it was little surprise. It was flat, mundane, and at 7.30pm on a festival night, you want the exact opposite. Energy, gusto, and something to keep the punters up and about. And that would unfortunately be a common complaint of the festival – that it peaked too early in the day.

Many waited for the Bloody Beetroots to close the main stage, but many also felt they were, well, bloody disappointing. When the sets of the day go to the likes of Rachmad and Corsten – both who were done by 6pm, you can’t help but feel a bit ‘meh’ about the rest of it.

Nevertheless, as far as a debut goes, it didn’t do too badly. Everything was relatively easy, although drinks were running out by about 8pm, despite numbers being far below what a Sydney festivalgoer is used to. Would I return? Possibly, but that largely depend on the line-up, and with it, the set-times. Playing people so early in the day does have an upside sure, but you want people to hang around till the end and enjoy the entire day.

Given that Zoo Brazil wrapped up proceedings on the carpark to no more than twenty people, it is something that organisers will decide is at least worthy of some serious consideration.