Chemicals Alive & Live At Creamfields 2004 (interview)

"We still play at a lot of festivals and to be brutally honest, some of them are a bit flat. There's no getting away from the fact that it's not the 90s anymore but having said that, you still go to a festival every so often where people are having the time of their lives; Creamfields was like that last year."

Pitching up to spin a DJ  set at Creamfields' annual event last year, Ed Simons admits that his first impression of the Liverpool dance festival was mixed

"It was one of those grim, late summer days, and the surrounding area is pretty blighted but within about half an hour of getting in I remember we thinking 'this is absolutely fucking wicked'," he recalls.

"People were having a really good time, they were all dressed up and every single tent was rocking then when I went to see Massive Attack the atmosphere they created with their first couple of songs was absolutely amazing. I remember watching the crowd and thinking 'I really want to play on that stage'."

12 months later his wish has been granted and Ed and his fellow Chemical Brother Tom Rowland will be the headline attraction for Creamfields 2004, alongside festival faves including Paul Oakenfold and Sander Kleinenburg as well as New York scenesters Scissor Sisters. Chatting to Jonty Adderley from press agency Skrufff.com, Ed admits he's looking forward to both the performance as well as the chance to catch up with a few friends.

"Hanging out and socialising with other musicians and DJs used to be such a big part of dance culture whereas today it's quite easy to get stuck in your own world," he says.

"We were there last year with people like Sasha and Paul Oakenfold and it was nice to say hello," he continues.

"All in all, the event was great, the atmosphere was good and whatever people say about dance festivals, people were having a really good time there all night long. We came away from Creamfields feeling really happy."


Skrufff: You seem to have a particularly strong connection with Cream, how did it first start-

Ed Chemical: "We've been pretty deep with Cream from the early days, they were actually the first people to book us to play in big rooms. Before they came along we were quite happy DJing in pubs, at places like the Heavenly Social in London then suddenly we found ourselves playing the main room at Cream. We had an immediately good reaction from clubbers at Cream and we've stayed in deep with Cream ever since. We also played the first ever Creamfields when it was at Winchester."

Skrufff: You were spotted watching Kraftwerk at Brixton Academy a few months ago, were you impressed by the show-

Ed Chemical: "Tom and I were absolutely gob-smacked and energised by the absolute technicality of that Kraftwerk show; they way they synchronised the music with the visuals and the sheer artistry of the visuals and it definitely prompted us to have a big rethink about how we present our own show. A few days later we had a meeting with our visual guy and we've conceived a new look and a new way of combining the visuals with the music. Our lighting man also designed a new 'stage set. More recently we also played at Glastonbury where we felt a massive reconnection with people with the show."

Skrufff: Homelands chief (former Cream man) Darren Hughes recently talked of live acts superceding DJs at festivals, given you can fulfil both roles, what's your take on that opinion-

Ed Chemical: "I still think hearing a DJ who's in command of a tent full of ravers is just as powerful an experience as any live gig; I don't see one role being any more valid than the other. Having one special live act is important because it brings people out but when you have a good DJ playing in a tent, whether it's Richie Hawtin or Justin Robertson, then that's every bit as valid as a live performance by the Scissor Sisters or AN Other dance band or us. I love the fact that when we play live it's a big moment in the festival but Carl Cox DJing or whoever el Tags

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