Global Gathering 2005 - Friday

Upon checking the stellar line up Friday has however, even the most well disciplined party goer is going to give into temptation before too long, throwing the kind of shapes you only expect to see in an advanced trigonometry class! With a planned opening time of 5pm, the queue to get from the campsite to the arenas is massive, and due to the overzealous attentions of security personal it's taking an age for it to diminish. 

Once inside though the site that greets entrants is immense and the trouble of getting in is soon forgotten. There are five impressively large arenas on day one with numerous other stalls and smaller dance attractions to divert attention. Most move swiftly to the outdoor sand strewn beach arena to begin with though, which hosted by dance music's most familiar personality Pete Tong seems a sensible first choice. Offering to whisk clubbers away to their paradise shores of choice while the weather, though overcast, is holding long enough for the illusion to remain true, there's also the added excitement for some of being live on Radio 1. Crowd favourites 2 Many DJ's perfectly compliment the outdoor good time vibe playing their usual brand of mashed up versions of pretty much anything they like, but with so little time to see as many acts as possible its necessary to move along fast. 

Along with the bevy of usual suspects there is also a huge amount of comparatively unknown talent.  The MYNC Project for example tear up Friday's Essential Selection tent in the way only hungry talented jocks know how. It's an early slot for them to play if given what's produced is their normal sound, but ultimately it works out in their favour as the crowds energy levels are higher now than at any other point likely over the weekend and ultimately give it their all. The ever humble looking James Zabiela follows on from MYNC but the false sense of security his pleasant demeanour brings is instantly cast aside by the devastatingly twisted tech fest he delivers. Beginning with his hallmark stuttering samples, its impossible to tell when the beats will drop, and although it's always this unpredictability that's already propelled Zabiela to legend status amongst prog house fans, the crowd is whipped into such a frenzy that once the bass arrives, for many there's simply no turning back.

There's much more to Friday's Global Gathering than the up and coming nu-breed of future star DJ's though, as is exemplified by two giants of the dance scene Underworld and The Happy Mondays. Up first on the open-air beach stage, the excitement generated by Underworld's impending performance is understandably at fever pitch. Having primed themselves with a careful selection of DJs leading up to Friday's headliners, the crowd is seriously intent on giving it every last ounce of dance mania, however Underworld sadly seem to have other ideas and prove decidedly underwhelming. As great as it is to hear many of their immense tunes of days past and as cool and fresh as it is to hear some of the newer breaks infused tracks, the timing of...well...pretty much everything seems way of the mark, from tune selection to the volume. Even the lighting seems to flitter about completely independently, leaving the crowd somewhat disorientated and confused as to what's going on. Have they started yet? Have the speakers gone?...are some of the questions muttered! Of course, such disappointments are not always the fault of the performers, and the strength of Underworld's reputation will inevitably endure - and for those who console their disappointment with a trip to the ridiculously huge Get Loaded arena, the Happy Mondays soon have smiles back on faces and feet happily jigging with the best performance of the entire weekend.

For any dance music fan, new or old, cyber kid or uber cool tech house junkie the importance of seeing the Mondays before they inevitably split or...erm... die... given their self induced level of poor health, cannot be underestimated.  It's one thing to listen to their CDs, but to see them bring their immortal classics to life is something else entirely. Shuffling across the stage at a snails pace and lit up by an awesome lighting rig, Shaun Ryder resembles an albino Buddha paying for the debauched Karma of his younger hey-day. Although struggling to remember the words to some of their back catalogue, if anything his voice seems better now than at any time before. So that through singalong epics such as 'Hallelujah' and 'Kinky Afro' it feels as if there's as much piercing Northern Soul resonance in Stratford-upon-Avon than at anytime in early nineties Mad-chester. To top their set off the sublimely uplifting piano riff of 'Step On' catches the crowd by surprise, encouraging everyone to adopt their best Bez dance moves in homage to the scenes best loved mash up mascot.  

Another live act to perform admirably on the Friday are Kosheen. With the outrageously sexy Sian Evans at the pinnacle of the Bristol based trio, her diminutive stature deceives all assembled by producing an immensely powerful vocal performance that does justice to all the fans favourites.  There perfectly blended ear friendly harmonies and mild drum and bass and breaks beats has loved up couples hugging to 'All in my head'  while swinging arms and legs frantically to the tougher edged 'Hide You'.

If being treated to great live performances from the likes of the above and witnessing the hard work of the up and coming nu breed is not enough for some however, there are of course plenty of well worn seasoned pros to keep the masses entertained.  Sasha, always more impressive when playing on a grand scale produces a blissful set that ends with a dream away remix of The Killers 'Mr Brightside', while the Scratch Perverts feat the Dynamite MC rock the Afrodizzyscratch arena with their expertly mixed breaks, hip hop and drum and bass.  There's no escaping the thought though that Friday is aimed at the more discerning clubber. With the biggest players in the dance scene from the past 15 years, the nostalgia generated from The Happy Mondays and Underworld, even if the latter delivers a rare poor performance, remind those old enough to remember how lucky they've been to live through their artistic epochs. Combined with some of the more recent critically successful acts on show too Friday's Global Gathering as much as anything is a welcome glimpse into both the past and future of club culture that all present enjoy perhaps a little too much, given that Saturdays line up is even bigger!!