May 29, 2000 13:54

BBC MUSIC LIVE'S CREAM OF THE CROP!

The two dance heavyweights battle it out at the Liverpool superclub for [b]BBC Music Live[/b]...

ARMAND VAN HELDEN and ex-Underworld star Darren Emerson played a surprise head-to-head DJ soundclash last night (May 28) at Liverpool superclub CREAM.

The big beat battle was one of the highlights at last night's BBC Music Live Bugged Out Vs Big Beat Boutique shindig at the club, and follows a similar face-off between Armand and Fatboy Slim last summer at the London Brixton Academy.

Last night's bout was declared a draw, and both deck superstars went on to play separate solo sets later on.

The event was filmed live for BBC 2 as part of their coverage of the nationwide five-day BBC Music Live festival, which featured a host of events encompassing a huge variety of musical genres the length and breadth of the country.

Other top acts playing before the invite-only crowd at Cream last night, which included some lucky nme.com competition winners, included Paul Bleasdale, Pete Tong, Cream regular Seb Fontaine and the return of former resident Cream DJ Paul Oakenfold.

The night also boasted two live performances from chart-toppers Chicane and Death In Vegas, who both played half-hour sets.

Another gig due to be held in Liverpool for BBC Music Live on the same weekend was cancelled by the city council three weeks ago due to poor ticket sales. The cancelled concert was to have a more eclectic flavour with a line-up featuring Public Enemy, Run DMC, Space and Asian Dub Foundation.