essence...
Someone described Love2001 as Ireland's clubbing fraternity's 'staff do' and that's precisely what it was - a huge party for the people who's devotion keep it alive, and for those who apply their careers to evoking that devotion, and a celebration of one of the most enduring and vibrant youth culture movements of our time.

euphony...
So who made the biggest impression? Well, Carl Cox proved why he's been voted Best DJ in the world by just about every credible medium and Dutch DJ Sander Klienenberg also enjoyed a rousing reception, as did Lisa Pin Up, Public Domain, Tall Paul, and, of course, Judge Jules. Of the local guys, if there was any competition, Cool FM jock Mark Wesley reigned triumphant, contending closely with Agnelli and Nelson who packed out the Love Arena as Pete Tong entertained in the Lush Arena across the field. The amazing crowd reaction to Larne lads Chris Agnelli and Robbie Nelson on home turf must surely have been a highlight of their career so far. Timo Maas failed to deliver his set with the momentum that he's famous for and while Paul Van Dyk gave one of the best sets of the day, the thousands who witnessed his energetic performance were silently willing him to play what has become the signature tune for Planet Love, his very own 'For An Angel'. It didn't come though, and Paul told me later that to play it would have been "too predictable" and that his DJing had moved away from that sound now - which was unfortunate for the more loyal Loveites who've pitched the euphoric 'For An Angel' the top of their Planet Love charts for the past three years.

substance...
The all new Love Arena hogged most of the limelight of Love2001 as not only was it consistently very busy all day, there was a real energy cultivated and heightened with each DJ that appeared. The pringle-shaped BBm/Neo hard house arena proved that hard house, with its hardcore-esque tailorings, is huge in Northern Ireland. The tent proved too small though with the crowd spilling far onto the grass outside when Fergie, Public Domain and Lisa Pin Up were on stage at different parts of the day. During other DJ sets, you could just about get under the sexy white canvass! Lush, probably for the first time in the club's history, was slightly lacklustre. Not even Pete Tong managed to revive an unusually torpid Lush crowd to the vivaciousness for which they're famed, nor indeed, their favourite, Timo Maas. And the Together Arena - the Love2001 platform for all things groovy - didn't work at all with the headliner, a visibly deflated Danny Rampling, entertaining some 30 or so Love Groove diehards. Essentially, Together, with its smooth house grooves, was to function as a chillout alternative to the more charged sounds elsewhere, but it seems 'charged' is what the majority was after on May 6th, and according to BBm / Neo, the more charged, the better! Belfast club Shine was both (very) loud and proud thanks, in particular, to CJ Bolland and Carl Cox, with Umek also getting rave reviews. Regular Shine fans were happy to abandon, temporarily, their urban sensibilities for a rural hoe-down of the highest order.

sustenance...
It lived up to the hype, of that there's little doubt, and proved that Northern Ireland and an independent company therein can handle the massive undertaking of organising a festival, and compete with the big guns. Love2001 was presented by Tennent's and organised by Eddie Wray, Sandra Gourley, Dave Sinton, Joanne Corry, and BBm Magazine, with the valued help of some 2,000 local companies and individuals. It was a rip roaring success. It's a good time right now for dance music in Ireland.