Eddie Halliwell

It's only April but Contactmusic already have one eye on the summer. specifically towards Creamfields 2013 which will be taking place at its usual venue near Daresbury in Cheshire over the August Bank Holiday weekend (Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th August). And while much of the UK's music press will be off to Leeds and Reading, we're looking forward to something that bit more adrenaline-fuelled, weird and wonderful over at Creamfields.

Long since established as the UK's premier dance and electronic festival, Creamfields will be in full party spirit this year to celebrate its 15th Birthday, and the initial line-up is befitting such a milestone. Leading the charge for 2013's event are iconic dance pioneers The Prodigy headlining the Saturday night (24th August) with their only UK festival appearance of 2013. Still going strong and approaching their 25th anniversary, the band are still legendary for their incendiary festival appearances and we're expecting nothing less from their Creamfields headliner - true trailblazers! Supporting them on the North Stage that night will be French Wunderkind Madeon and Zane Lowe with DJ sets, while the South stage takes a distinctly more cutting-edge tack with Avicii, Knife Party and Nicky Romero. Steve Angelo and Benny Benassi head up the Size Matters tent, while Eric Prydz invites Marco Carola, Adam Beyer and special guest Maya Jane Coles to his Prydz Friends tent. Also heading up their own tents are Pete Tong and Annie Mac with impressive supporting casts, though personally, we're most excited about Above & Beyond's Anjunabeats stage: with Paul Oakenfold, Gareth Wyn and Gareth Emery giving us a night of exceptional Trance before Above & Beyond themselves come along to finish the whole thing off in glorious style.

Onto the Sunday (25th August) and the big name is undoubtedly David Guetta - arguably the biggest name in the world of electronic music right now - heading up the North Stage with a selection of tunes that have pretty much been resident on radios across the globe over the past few years. Though, he does face a little competition from Tiësto on the South Stage, as well as Groove Armada giving one of their ever-excellent and eclectic DJ sets in the Nation tent, and Sebastian Ingrosso proving that there is life after Swedish House Mafia as he fronts the All Mixed Up stage. Frankly, Sunday is full of mouth-watering clashes, with Richie Hawtin's intelligent Techno jacking the Enter stage around, Laidback Luke and Eddie Halliwell getting hands up in the air at the Super You&Me stage, Kutski, Andy Whitby and Alex Kidd pushing it hard and fast at the Goodgreef X-Tra Hard stage and Subfocus and Modestep bringing the bass tremors in the Speakerbox tent. And frankly, if you've got any energy left after that little lot, you're a stronger man than I am! An impressive line-up all round.

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