Woah! That is all I have to say about Creamfields 2022. If you’ve never been to Creamfields, here is what to expect from the August bank holiday weekend takeover. It’s the UK’s biggest dance music festival. The festival runs over four days in Daresbury near Warrington and Liverpool. The first official day is Thursday, with the three following days hosting headline acts across 11 different arenas. The festival has sold out for two years running, with all tickets for 2022 going within the first week of the ticket on sale back in 2021 prior to the lineup being released. 

The festival hosts a wide range of dance music genres such as house music, techno, EDM, tech house, drum & bass, and hardstyle, just to name a few. The production in tents and on main stages is incomparable to the likes of Reading/Leeds Festival or Parklife. Granted, there are different genres of music, but this year was Creamfield’s 25th Anniversary, so the expectation for production and the lineup was elevated. Let me tell you; it did not disappoint. I could go as far as to say the best production and lineup yet. 

Production of Creamfields is second to none, with stages being re-developed and new stages created. Creamfields hosts the infamous Steel Yard, a 12,000-capacity arena with the likes of Ewan McVicar, Camelphat, Carl Cox, and Eric Prydz playing. A new stage was introduced this year by Creamfields, which hosted brands such as Paradise, Trick, and Solid Grooves, dominating the 2022 summer season in Ibiza. Main stages Arc and Horizon provided music from the likes of Joel Corry, Calvin Harris, Sam Divine, Arielle Free, David Guetta and Alesso.

This year’s festival brought not only the sun, which ideally wasn’t too unbearable, but it also brought a high-energy, interactive, and responsive crowd too, which elevated the excitement and vibrations coming from the DJs. 

After attending the festival, it was clear to me that the festival’s new stage was the place to be over the weekend. The stage was consistently splurging out the sides throughout the entirety of the weekend, and huge wobbler tunes were being exposed with sensational lighting and sound production. This NEEDS to be brought back for 2023.

Beatport produced the livestream across four main stages (ARC, HORIZON, STEEL YARD and an exclusive brand new stage) throughout this year’s edition of Creamfields North, including sets from heavyweights such as Armin van Buuren, Denis Sulta, DJ Minx, Patrick Topping, Anfisa Letyago, and more. Below, I’ve outlined five of my favorites from the unforgettable weekend. Enjoy!

Photo: Alisha (by Jack Kimber)

ALISHA

It’s always been a pleasure of mine to see my fellow female taking control of the day. Day two of cinch presents Creamfields 2022 livestream opened at 3.00 pm with the new stage’s Paradise takeover. Alisha’s opened paradise stage, taking her debut at Creamfields by storm. It’s fair to say she absolutely shelled it. As soon as the gates opened, Paradise was flooded with two-stepping and continued to do so as Alisha dropped bops with heavy base grooves. Alisha set the tone for the rest of the Paradise line up playing tunes from the duo RSquared “Brown Eyes”, where Alisha created infectious energy for the festival goers who continued to stay throughout the entirety of her set, leaving Sosa with some big boots to fill.

Photo by: Geoffrey Hubbel

SOSA

A Liverpudlian hero behind the decks. Sosa donned the decks from 4:15 pm until Richy Ahmed took the reigns. Taking the vibes to new levels after Alisha. As always, his “DFCW” trembled through the Paradise clan and was received with chanting vocals from the crowd, as expected. This was elevated by Sosa’s “The Sax,” an undeniably chunky track with bouncing saxophones. Gladly his set ran over until 6 pm, and Sosa continued to create memorable Friday moments as soon as he stepped onto the decks. He made it his mission to engage the crowd in the summer heat. He did not disappoint, sharing his all-consuming energy with the festival goers.

Photo: Ben Hemsley (by Anthony Mooney)

BEN HEMSLEY

Quite possibly the most heartfelt, energetic, and iconic sets of Creamfields since his performance in 2021. Ben Hemsley is a name that has been rapidly growing and winning the hearts of young and old ravers worldwide. Hemsley opened his set with his own tune, “Through 2 You.” The stage erupted with the voices of over 15,000 ravers bulging out from either side of the stage’s structure from start to finish. The vibrations of the audience sustained throughout Hemsley’s vivacious set, where he dropped and continued to drop bombs such as “Samba De Janeiro,” by Bellini. Hemsley’s music has no boundaries, playing a variety of genres throughout his set, including high-energy brake beat and trance, tech house, and techno. Towards the end of Hemsley’s set, he shared his gratitude with the likes of Patrick Topping, who surprised Hemsley on the Trick stage, where he was overcome with tears and cheers from the crowd. This set is one that I guarantee will be replayed repeatedly.

Photo: Blackchild & Wheats (by Lorenzo TNC)

WHEATS B2B BLACKCHILD

The dynamic duo I have personally been waiting for since I began indulging in the juicy vibes of Solid Grooves. Wheats and Blackchild took over from another djing duo Nautica. This set was consumed by minimal bopping edits. They dropped “Gisha” by Jholeyson, “N Night” by Wheats, and a “Funky Town” edit, all of which held the crowd intensely. There was a continuous sea of hands, the best sign of enjoyment at a dance music festival. Wheats has had the pleasure of gracing the people of Creamfields in 2021. His second time at Creamfields on the new stage representing Solid Grooves was done with prowess and coolness alongside fellow groover Blackchild who debuted at Creamfields this year. Fair to say, a set we will not forget. 

Photo: Ewan McVicar (by Anthony Mooney)

EWAN McVICAR

Tell me something good! Ewan McVicar took over Steel Yard… That will do. 

Steel Yard is synonymous with Creamfields and it takes a certain type of artist to hold a crowd in a quintessential structure like Steel Yard. The new stage structure seemed to take a lot of the crowd for the weekend, but when McVicar began at 5:50 pm, the arena was filled from wall to wall with festival goers cheering. McVicar created a wholesome, vibrant and unforgettable set. Similarly, to Hemsley, he does not give himself boundaries with music. McVicar flung himself across the stage playing “RIP Groove” by Double 99, where Steel Yard’s lighting synced with the tune. As expected, McVicar did not pass the opportunity to play his tune “Tell Me Something Good,” where he invited his Mum up to the decks. The contagious energy pulsating from his Mum and McVicar himself was heartwarming. A clearly unforgettable moment. 

Watch all of Beatport x cinch presents from Creamfields North 2022 livestreams below!

— Armin van Burren
— Carl Cox
— Camelphat
— Anfisa Letyago
— DJ Minx
— Joseph Capriati
— Yousef
— Denis Sulta
— Patrick Topping
— Kölsch
— Richy Ahmed
— Cristoph
— Eli Brown
— Arielle Free
— Alan Fitzpatrick
— Chace
— Solardo
— Jodie Harsh
— Joel Corry
— Sam Divine
— Elliot Adamson
— Mike Williams