Global Gathering

Before setting out for Global Gathering, I had expectations of a hot sunny day spent dancing to great music under a clear blue sky. Well, two out of four wasn't bad. Despite falling at the end of one of the hottest weeks this summer, by the time I arrived on the second day, storm clouds had gathered. Not that that could spoil the fun.
After a quick recce - during which we headed for the VIP area to check out the Hed Kandi tent - we made our way over to see Judge Jules. Despite getting there early, the tent was packed with people forced to listen outside and shuffle in as people left to check out other acts. As soon as he started playing it was clear why. Despite the relatively early hour, everyone was more than in the mood to dance.
But my main reason for coming to the festival was Fatboy Slim who headlined the Radio 1 Beach Stage that night. His entrance was preceded by two light aircraft carrying out an aerial acrobatic display - complete with wing walkers - which meant the crowd was only keeping half an eye on the stage waiting for him to come on.
Once he did, however, the crowd wasn't going anywhere. The cheers only got louder as he launched into his own hits such as Right Here, Right Now and the Rockefeller Skank.
One of the things I love about Fatboy Slim is his ability to throw together a completely diverse mix of songs that, on the face of it, wouldn't seem like they'd work well together but somehow do. And on this occasion he didn't disappoint, mixing together tunes such as Gnarls Barkley's Crazy, Underworld's Born Slippy and Deee-Lite's Groove is in the Heart. One thing you certainly couldn't call him is predictable, but one look around the crowd showed that he definitely has a magic touch - the smiles on faces more than matched those of the bright yellow smiley faces being projected from the screens onstage.
Now, the last time I saw Fatboy Slim live was during a major electrical storm in Ibiza, which knocked out the power to the Manumission club night halfway through his set. As the clouds began to gather during his performance, it seemed possible that he could meet a similar fate with the weather this time too. Luckily, someone was looking down on us as it held off until his final track when the heavens opened and everyone made a mad dash for cover.
Luckily, he was the last act on the main stage that night so everyone could head for the relative dryness of one of the numerous tents housing the acts. We opted to see Carl Cox, whose pounding beats seemed to be fuelling the crowd with the energy they needed to continue on throughout the night.
This year's Global Gathering has been reported as a record breaker in terms of its size. If it continues along the same path, you just know it's only going to get bigger.
Early Bird tickets for next year's festival are now available at www.globalgathering.co.uk