Lush/2FM Arena

Homelands Ireland 2000 review

Maybe it was because it was all going to be over by 2am - rather than the 6am finish for Homelands England - the crowd was really up for it as soon as the gates opened. Home didn't seem to have a DJ on stage at first, so everyone passed through it, and on to Lush: heaven awaited!

Col Hamilton's set had the crowd lapping up buckets of uplifting house/trance and he showed how to blow the cold and damp away, while working the crowd into their first frenzy - really kicking them into action. He's a must see - check him out in the R1 Essential Mix Arena at Homelands England. It was a shame not having made it back to the Lush tent to see him again in a double set with John Cecchini.

John Power followed, and we had fears of it all going flat: no chance. The energetic crowd made the most of his skills, the tent continuing to fill out, and hands-in-the-air was very much the style. Another DJ, another storming set.

In a change to the schedule, Scott Bond came on next, playing a fabulous set of crowd-pleasing uplifting house, acting as a big build up to Judge Jules. The Judge toyed with the crowd for a few minutes, repeatedly coming on stage in the closing tracks of Bond's set and egging the punters on. Finally he kicked off his set with Frankie's 'The Power of Love'. A cheesier song you couldn't imagine - but it worked, building into a good old fashioned pumping house remix, while the crowd danced along with conviction.

To be honest, Superstar DJ personas often disappoint, but we have to hand it to guys like Judge Jules; he might not play at the cutting edge anymore but certainly knows how to please a crowd.

Due to other attractions - the endless appeal of Shine/BBS, and our wish to catch the big live acts at Home - we never got back to Lush after the Judge: For Homelands England, we'll make more of this (a similar line-up is playing the R1 Essential Mix Arena).