August Bank Holiday weekend is when Liverpool’s schizophrenia is on display like no other time of the year. In the city centre The Mathew St Festival ensures the pubs and pavements are full of boozed up Beatles fans reliving the golden days of the 1960’s and literally dancing in the street, meanwhile 7 miles to the south the old Speke airfield site is home to Creamfields, where 36,000 people reflect the other side of Liverpool’s nightlife experience.  | | White wellies are the order of the day |
There’s not a Beatles wig in sight as the crowds make their way down Speke Hall Avenue for the annual Creamfields dance fest. Creamfields is already a summer institution in Liverpool, the strong line ups of recent years including Scissor Sisters, the Chemical Brothers and Massive Attack has seen to that. This year’s festival included the return of 2002 hit Faithless and a headline performance from Basement Jaxx. There’s always one worry about Creamfields – the weather. The exposed river front location makes the site as susceptible to the wind and rain. This year the clouds gather threateningly all day but as happens every Creamfields the weather stays fine and the party is well and truly on.  | | Having a ball at Creamfields |
One of the most fun parts of Creamfields is spotting which item will be the festivals must have fashion accessory. For 2005 its pink Wellington boots, if the number prancing around the site attached to their owners feet is anything to go by. Creamfields only really comes to life once night falls and 2005 is no exception as Faithless take to the stage to bring their own brand of magic to the gathered throng. Beginning with Insomnia and working their way through the hits they bring the old airfield to life and by the time they get to God Is A DJ the crowd has swelled almost tenfold. So you’d think Faithless would be a difficult act to follow.  | | The snow falls |
Basement Jaxx have other ideas not least in the costume department. If there was a prize for most number of costume changes in one performance Basement Jaxx would walk away with it. Within two numbers the crowd are going mental, the crew from Galaxy FM are throwing their remaining goody bags off the back off the sound desk to the crowd below and as their set reaches it’s climax even the police helicopter makes a triumphant sweep over the site. And it’s not even midnight. By dawn the bright eyed troops that marched in expectantly twelve hours earlier are now plodding slowly away from the festival site, bleary eyed, exhausted and a bit muddy. See you next year then. | 
