It's been 30 years since a small underground club night emerged and became legendary in the Liverpool's club scene and beyond.
Started in 1992 by James Barton, Darren Hughes and Andy Carroll , Cream quickly became one of the most famous club nights in the UK and hosted thousands of clubbers every week. At the cutting edge of dance and electronic music in the 1990s and early 2000s, the weekly house music night first launched in October that year at the now demolished Nation nightclub in in Wolstenholme Square.
Within a year of opening, Cream's Saturday night offering was so successful that the organisers created a new late opening in the city centre called "Full On." Lasting until 6am, it soon became known as the Cream All-Nighter and ran regularly on the last Friday of every month.
Read More:
- Rare footage captures glimpse of life in Liverpool decades ago
- Demolition of Cream's iconic Liverpool home that marked 'the end of an era'
At one point, Cream attracted more than 3000 people each week and a legendary movement would see DJs travelling from around the world to get to play sold-out sets. In 1994, the business became a huge brand and offered a range of merchandise as it rapidly expanded.
In 1995, Cream went international - hosting their first international night in Ibiza. By 1999, Cream released its first single on Cream Records - the year that Cream Ibiza was also immortalised in Kevin and Perry Go Large.
With the brand rapidly growing, the company organised its first ever Creamfields festival and quickly went on to take the world by storm, holding events in countries such as Spain, Romania, Brazil, Australia and Argentina. Few clubs actually deserve the 'legendary' status but there's no doubt Cream ticked all the boxes to justify label.
Now 30 years on from its humble beginnings, many will remember the crowds of sweaty bodies throwing shapes on the dance floor, glow-sticks, and the outrageous costumes complete with devil horns and scary contact lenses that make most modern club nights look tame in comparison. A time when Liverpool represented the centre of the universe, thousands will remember fans flocking to join in the immersive, collective experience offered by Cream.
Did you ever go to Cream at Nation? Let us know in the comments section below.
Grown up out of the warehouse raves and acid house scene that came before it, Cream somehow managed to capture that feeling at Nation in a way that never felt forced or commercialised and the ECHO previously spoke to a number of people who were there to witnessed it. The club's reputation had long been on the radar of Steve Mackenzie who had to wait until his 18th birthday in 1999 before finally getting to experience it for himself.
Wallasey-born Steve previously told The ECHO: "My first night was my 18th birthday in 1999 and I remember it well because I had wanted to go for years but it was notoriously hard to get in without ID. I planned to go for my birthday with one of my good mates but he pulled out at the last minute and I thought 'I'm going anyway'.
"I knew Cream was something a bit different so I went on my own and bumped into some people who I knew from college. After that night I went most weekends for two or three years."
There may be 20 years and half the globe separating Steve from his old haunt at Nation but the memories are just as clear today as they were in his teenage pomp. He said: "It's hard to describe [the atmosphere there]. It's like trying to describe what it's like going to a big European night to people who aren't into football.
"Growing up I didn't really feel part of many things. I got a Liverpool season ticket when I was 15 and I felt part of that and like I belonged. And Cream was like that - it was like walking into a different world. It was just unreal - friendly people, amazing music."
If you talk to anyone who was a regular at Cream about their nights out there, talk always turns to the atmosphere. People talk about a friendly, welcoming vibe and a scene devoid of trouble that spoiled the party.
Something about the dedication of clubbers who turned up to enjoy the DJ sets and the appreciation for the music scene meant fights didn't often feature on a night out at Nation. Steve said: "Back then if you went to a normal bar there was always trouble and as a lad you were always looking out for it - but there was never any trouble at Cream.
"I remember meeting people who had come up on coaches from Cardiff and all around the country. It was such a big event for people that it was something to look forward to for months, to go together and get dressed up for, so the last thing they would want is a fight. You just never had any trouble in there - it was the same as Garlands. You never felt intimidated for a second.
"Even if you wanted to have a fight in there, you couldn't. It just felt so good, there were enough people in a good spirit who had saved up to come here and wanted to have fun.
"People were there for the music and to dance. No one was going to neck pints or get drunk. You would go there to enjoy the music. People weren't wasted and if they were then they weren't getting in. People were just merry and loving the night and the DJs were always amazing - it was like a religious experience."
Another Cream regular who frequented the Wolstenholme Square club night was Robert Mawdsley. Robert first visited the club in 1993 and made a weekly habit of attending between 1994 and 1997.
Robert previously said: "It was as much about the time as about the place. It was just after a lot of the warehouse raves and the fields and acid house and they managed to capture something in that club before it became commercial."
"It was a great atmosphere. You had American DJs who would travel over. Acts like Daft Punk - they got them in first. They got a lot of those DJs in first, along with Ministry of Sound. That was the big draw for us.
"They took a chance with that too because it wasn't very commercial. The music was the thing that made it so special. It was the kind of music that was made for a collective of people - like gospel church music.
"I've never seen anything like that since - it was very of its time, I think." This was something Steve touched on too, saying: "It was something unique that they managed to get right either by chance or by skill and it just worked.
"I've travelled to more than 40 countries and for me travelling is all about the food and the night life - and I've never experienced anything like Cream, it was unique, it was magic."
For a period in time, Liverpool represented the centre of the universe if you were into a certain kind of music. Richard said: "To have these DJs coming to us was a big thing. People from New York were coming to this city week in week out and that did a lot for the scene."
For more nostalgia stories, sign up to our Liverpool Echo newsletter here.
And the specialist kind of club night Cream was offering represented a gateway for Richard and countless others like him, who began travelling the country to see their favourite DJs. He said: "I was probably 21 in 1995, during the peak. I was going out every weekend to a big club and you could go out on Friday and not come back until Sunday.
"We travelled all over the country and would go to Cream three or four times a month and then Leeds or Birmingham. It was its own scene or counterculture because you would bump into people who were going to all these clubs and it was before social media so you would get the listings from magazines and you were travelling around the country to see one DJ."
He added: "You knew everyone who was there was having a good time. Even now you meet people who are so different but you have that shared experience. Everyone really understood what made it good and that there was something special about it. It wasn't just going out, having a few drinks - you wanted that experience."
Join our Liverpool memories and history Facebook group here.
Sadly, the iconic club closed its doors in 2007, and the venue was demolished in 2016 as part of the regeneration of Wolstenholme Square, along with the Kazimier Club which later became an iconic part of Liverpool's music scene in its own right. On April 11, 2016, the Liverpool ECHO shared pictures of the last days of the site, as well as the bulldozers demolishing Nation.
At the time, Janette Horrigan Noakes said: "End of an era, best club ever and so many memories! Walking around on Boxing Night with Boy George in a headlock was probably the best! 2nd was Jon Pleased Women playing Groove is in the Heart at the end of the night and the entire place erupting." Paul Comer commented: "Gutted! Cream was the only reason I chose to go to Uni in Liverpool! I'll always remember Roger Sanchez with his Kangol hat on. Cassius, Basement Jaxx, Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox, Armand Van Helden, Paul Oakenfold! Some of the best times of my life! If only I could go back to 1998! Oh and Medication!!!"
Laura Sellers wrote: "So sad! The best years of my life spent here with great friends!" And Jo Ap posted: "My first ever night at Cream was in Aug 1996 for the Essential Mix...Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, LTJ Buckem and even Boy George played that night! Best night ever for my first experience at that awesome 'super club,' real shame it has been demolished."
This week marks 30 years since Cream first launched. A Cream spokesperson said: "It’s been an amazing 30 years full of unforgettable moments, none of us back in 1992, ever anticipated we would still be doing what we love 30 years later.
"Cream Classical at the Cathedral is one of the highlights of the year for us, and with the last show back in 2019, it’s been a long time coming and we’ve curated a very special 30 th anniversary set list to mark the occasion. The Classical shows attract such a broad audience, it’s amazing to see people of all ages come together to celebrate Cream and listen to the soundtrack to their youth come to life like never before, taking them right back to Cream’s dancefloor, and what a place to be. Here’s to another 30!"
Cream Classical is celebrating Cream's 30th anniversary with an epic show at Liverpool Cathedral this weekend. Taking place over two nights on Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22, the weekend of shows is expected to sell out in minutes, with the setting, production, soundtrack, and 30 years of history coming together in an awe-inspiring dance music extravaganza.
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
Read Next:
- Cream at 30: Photos of the Liverpool club night that became a global superpower
- Lost pizza restaurant chain known for its 'all you can eat' deals
- Scenes from 1990s Edge Lane Hollywood Bowl and the faces who went there
- Unusual snack people remember from their childhood in Liverpool
- Lost Liverpool Disney stores where 'priceless memories' were made
