HOMELANDS KICKS FESTY SEASON OFF IN STYLE
As always with this first event of the festival season, Homelands is in the lap of the gods. As the weather leading up to it so significantly affects the advance tickets sales, the weather on the day determines what is known as the ‘walk-up’; i.e. those turning up because the sun is out.
 And fortunately, for the 2003 event, the heavens again seem to be smiling on the Matterley Bowl. Bar the legendary mudfest that was Homelands 2000, meteorologically-blessed promoter Darren Hughes has been remarkably fortuitous. Last year’s event saw records visibly warping on the outdoor sundeck in the Strongbow Lounge, and while the heatwave was absent this year, the rain mercifully held off for another year and the ravers began arriving in droves.
 With this initial worry banished, the partying began in earnest. And for many, it was a festival of surprises. Perhaps one of the first being Radio 1’s trance-meister-in-chief Judge Jules taking to the decks in the Time Out-sponsored arena with a set of old school hip hop. Later the same tent would become the most eclectic perhaps of any year at Homelands, with 2 Many DJs finding lineage between Nirvana and Noreaga, and Grandmaster Flash taking in Michael Jackson and Stardust in a truly legendary mash-up of old and new. Truly, the Grandmaster can, as legend has it, cut faster. Genius.
 Other surprises came from the Audio Bullys, taking to the live arena with a blistering set that eschewed any notion that the studio is their natural environment. Tom Dinsdale was a flurry of cuts and scratches, combined with Simon Franks MCing in that familiar estuary drawl, holding the crowd firmly in the palms of their hands, with a set that featured both their own material fused with jacking, old school house.
 Germanic siblings Tiefschwarz impressed in the Bacardi B-Bar, successfully slotting Justin Timberlake and No Doubt into their selection of deep, esoteric house music. Derrick Carter later hit the decks for a glorious four hours, proving beyond reasonable doubt that he is still a world leader. Not literally, of course, though he’s probably more effective than George Bush.
But perhaps the least surprising performance of the day came from headliners Groove Armada, who once again proved their worth as a great white hope in live dance music. Frontman Andy Cato commands a certain easy-going respect on stage, as do their enormously talented cohorts. Highlights included the newest addition to their live repertoire ‘Easy’, and the astonishing set-finishing monster ‘Superstyling’, which had every single member of the crowd bouncing.
Meanwhile Louis Osbourne was taking the controls in the Strongbow Rooms, following a day that found The Clash rubbing shoulders with George Benson. Osbourne’s tough, rump-shaking set rocked as the sun dipped behind Matterley Bowl, and the crowds that had previously enjoyed the warmth of the sun deck headed indoors to heat things up.
So, another success for Homelands, a festival predictable in its quality but thoroughly unpredictable in every other way.
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