We Love... Homelands 2005

United Kingdom | | 28 May 2005

One established dance fest + the so-called 'death of dance music' = influx of indie bands

Certainly the place hasn't changed. The site of the Matterly Bowl hedonism tardis still induces butterflies in the stomach as you walk over its lip and gravitate into its bubbling cauldron of tents and arenas. But strolling down with the messy but distinct drawl of Babyshambles in your ears, rather than a crisply produced four-four beat gives an instant indication that this year's Homelands is going to be a bit different.

Seeking to widen its appeal following the apparent decline in dance music, organisers have pulled in a few current darlings, like The Bravery and his highness Pete, to complement the traditional field disco shennanigans. However, there's no denying that this remains, to all extents and purposes, a proper knees up of the old school kind, with beats and people-in-pieces still the order of the day.

But perhaps there's not enough of all that. Because try as you might - close your eyes, neck a chemist, tickle a DJ, ramraid a speakers with your head - Homelands 2005 never really gets going and you can't help thinking (and secretly giggling to yourself) that those nutters who reportedly paid £800 for black market tickets must be absolutely gutted. You definitely wouldn't know it's sold out (is it?). Tents are deserted at times, others half full, and walking from arena to arena is as stress-free as a pilates session on prozac.

Inevitably the Live Arena is rammed as the day progresses with Mylo and The Streets drawing the biggest crowds. The Movement drum 'n' bass tent is packed pretty much all day and night too, but some of the others fail to ignite and only fill when the big names step into the fray. Bizarrely, one of the biggest crowds of the day is for The Human League.

There's a pleasant vibe across the entire site admittedly, but it never turns into the party that a one-day festival like this needs to be and, dare we say it, at times the day drags. Yup, there are some people having far too good a time, but you can't judge a festival on the number of inseminated smiles and loved up hugs alone. Fortunately there are some damn good tunes and judge it on this we shall ... (simply click on the links below)

Live Arena - Beck and Roots Manuva triumph, The Streets takes things backwards

Arenas 1-5 (DJ round-up) - Richie Hawtin and Miss Kittin try and get the party started

The Strongbow Rooms - David Guetta sets the scene for a banging night  

Click here for our Homelands 2005 Gallery.

Click here to see the results of our Homelands Survey - find out what the people thought!