The Creamfields brand is one of the biggest of the festival world. In 2010, Creamfields UK beat the likes of Glastonbury, Global Gathering and V Festival to be named Music Week’s Festival of the Year. Hardware has had considerable experience in producing dance gigs and festivals, some more successful than others. Naturally then, the pressure was on Hardware Corp when they made the decision to bring the Creamfields brand to Australia, to uphold its’ success in its’ Australian debut.

During the marketing period, the festival announced it was being moved from the reliable Doomben racecourse to an untested site, the reason? ‘No sound restrictions’. This point ended up being vital given the new site was opposite the international Airport. On paper, the site appeared to be large, well catered, facilitated and organised albeit somewhat inaccessible. But once the gates opened it seemed as though Stevie Wonder had a hand in designing the site with the only exit/entrance point dissecting it in half. That aside, the atmosphere was young, alive and enthusiastic with music volumes at most stages thumping. Given the lack of space for much of a green room, artists mingled throughout the crowd, which excited many a young freshman female.
On the Main Stage Bingo Players had an early slot, but they didn’t seem to mind given the crowd who’d gathered early to hear them bang out their massive MOS hit, Devotion. Lifelike followed and much of the current crowd remained, as if they were just pressing >> on their stereo to hear the next MOS track in Chris Lakes remix of their Discopolis track.

Back over under the Planet Hardware tent were local boys representing, Baby G vs Habebe. Their mix of house, progressive and electro anthems got the crowd moving eagerly under the tent. It was clear there was going to be some smashing beats resonating from under the tent throughout the day and their collaboration was an appropriate start.
Melbourne’s Dirty South drew the days’ biggest crowd yet as he had a plethora of remixes and Swedish House Mafia anthems to draw upon. His set was a turning point in the day and his bootleg og Evermore vs. Wippenberg – Chakalaka vs. Too Late, his hooked track Let It Go with Temper Trap’s Sweet Disposition (_Axwell & Dirty South Remix_) helped the crowd pump the blood. It was a set scattered with layered acapellas and Muzzaik’s Kontrast (Alex Gomez & Bias Factomania Pressure Remix) with Daft Punk’s Aerodynamic kept the people happy. While LMFAO Let the Bass Kick in Miami Bitch I wondered over to catch the tweedledee and tweedledum of hip-hop/electro Oh Snap! on the mortal themed Outrage stage. Despite their enthusiasm, the Baltimore duo struggled to excite the small crowd for much of the set with a eclectic blend until they randomly dropped Robin S, Steve Angello and Laidback Luke’s Be vs Show Me Love. Naturally it was a magnet for anyone and everyone who happened to be strolling by. At the tracks conclusion I followed the crowd over to Filo & Peri who had a dedicated league of fans in the Cream tent for some electro respite. After hearing the opening bars to Paul van Dyk’s For An Angel I was keen to remain particularly after they followed with their own For An Anthem ft. Eric Lumiere. However, the sound system in the tent did little justice to the solid line-up of trance acts who were to fill it. Marco V who followed, spun a text book set comprising Unprepared, Dudek and his quality 2010 remix of Planet Funk Chase The Sun. However, I was craving the quality ‘unlimited’ volume so promised, so I moved back to the Outrage stage to catch ironically named Tommie Sunshine. His deceivingly bored appearance had no reflection on his set. Accompanied by his wife Daniella who danced up a storm on the morbid-themed props in her glittered bikini, his mane waved in time with his pounding electro-pop set. In his own words the kids were ‘…outraging against the machine’ to his set which included Midnight’s Oil’s Beds Are Burning, Real 2 Real’s I Like to Move It (Sydney Samson Remix) and Sunshine’s own mix with Oh Snap!- 5AM (A Girl Like You). His set drew a decent crowd, which only swelled with the addition to the set of Snap’s Rhythm is a Dancer.

Back over on the Main Stage punters got a second helping of Laidback Luke and Steve Angello’s Be, although Benny Bennassi’s Satisfaction version, from Green Velvet. Their Shake and Pop track was hooked with La La Land and Flash which dominated a set extended by the disappointing but understandable withdrawal of Steve Angello himself from his slot. MSTRKRFT were attracting a massive crowd across the road on Outrage, most of whom had run over to hear Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E + ISIS). Those that left to settle for the headliners following this, missed the solid yet modest Canadian electro hits including VUVUVU and Laidback Luke’s remix (yes, his tracks were spun all day) of their Heartbreaker. The size of the crowd and the inability of the stage’s location to house JFK and Al-P’s set appropriately made me wonder why they did not replace Angello’s slot on the Main Stage. Particularly given the same crowd who wanted to see MSTRKRFT had to frantically negotiate the ‘zebra crossing’ in order to see Dutchman Ferry Corsten and Bloody Beetroots afterward.

Meanwhile, under the Planet Hardware big top, which was thankfully nearby the Main Stage some serious techno was being unleashed. Father of Detroit techno in the Netherlands, Steve Rachmad had his deep melodic grooves envelope the tent. His set cleaned the ears of any electro dirt with his remixes of James Ruskin’s Work, Chris Liebing’s Bossi and his latest collaboration with Heiko Laux for Hutspot. A brilliant set of seamless minimal techno from Joris Voorn followed and I couldn’t get enough. MPX 309, his remix of Nalin and Kane’s Beachball, Sweep the Floor and We’re All Clean outlined the set of driving tracks. Fellow Amsterdam resident Dave Clarke lifted the BPM’s slightly in the tent for Levigi, Storm and The Wolf which kept many die hard dance music fans sufficiently satisfied. Those that weren’t under that tent were either watching the back end of Ferry’s set or licking the Cream from Tydi’s reliable set. The former was slow to get going with the sound tech’s struggling for 20 minutes with sound levels. Initially Made of Love got things underway in typical arms-embracing-the-sky style will finishing large with L.E.F., Black Velvet and Pulse from his latest album Once Upon a Night. All the while Brisbane’s Tydi (yes we like reminding the country that we have its’ number one DJ) cracked out several Look Closer tracks climaxing with You Walk Away.
Initially I wasn’t concerned with the Beetroots and their screaming dirty electro since thinking ‘meh’ at Stereosonic ‘09. But Hardware seemed determined that Australia be covered in the duo’s juice so I gave them a second chance. Their Death Crew 77 ensemble added a phenomenal dynamic to their set and I was pleasantly surprised with their re-designed sound. Thanks to MOS they are a popular outfit and this was evident through them steamrolling through Warp 1.9, Dimmakmmunication and Cornelius with imploding energy.

It is clear, that festivals are able to achieve some success with recycling international acts while some Australian artists seem a little underdone. Doing so still sells tickets, even if it means sacrificing quality and accessible facilities and venues for bills with ‘no sound restrictions’. But when such an iconic brand as Creamfields is bought to Australia on the back of it’s existing success, and it’s considerably sacrificed, I just hope it doesn’t fare a similar fate to Australia’s leg of Global Gathering.