PEOPLE COME to university for a variety of reasons. Some come to expand their mind, some come to find their future spouse, some come to get away from home and others are forced. One common denominator is simply to try something new; new places, people and ways of thinking. A large proportion of average student living is dedicated to the night and more importantly the night out. So why not take the open mindedness associated with university and use and abuse it when deciding on your next night of partying?
It seems too many students develop a ‘partying rut’ and these are two words that should never be seen so close together. It appears to be an all too easy to predict routine amongst the student population and it will forever include those (quite) cheap, large, overly packed nights that we all know and love. Despite maybe offering a variety of music in an array of themed rooms, I can’t help but feel like there must be something more. An alternative. There has to be, or else we shall all be condemned to a future of cheap vodka-red-bull and 90s dance classics. Now the 90s were fun but isn’t it time to move on, just a little? These big nights are all well and good for a couple of times a month and can be the most fun to be had on a Monday night. But, like all things in life, there will always be an alternative, another choice, another way of thinking.
Since starting second year I have made a decisive effort to attend club nights whose flyers I would generally stuff in the recycling bin. Words like electro, dubstep and breaks tend not to sit well with me and I know that I’m not alone in this. The bottom line is I don’t know what the hell they are. They are therefore a scary topic when brought up in conversation as you await the moment when you proclaim that they are all ‘kinda cool’ – a sure sign that you do not know what you are talking about and a one-way ticket to social suicide.
So, despite my eyes already preparing to roll and serious preconceptions, I attended Paradise Factory one Tuesday night. An eye opening experience and a hell of a lot of fun. If you manage to avoid the people who are strangely chewing air, flinging their limbs and donning their sweat rimmed neon sunglasses these nights can be really quite fantastic. They are new, fresh and exciting. Not only this, but you are sure to meet new people who, like you, are trying something different and are therefore equally skeptical. And we all know how much fun cynicism can be.
The event ‘Riot Jazz’ was particularly interesting – the flyer proclaimed jazz and hip-hop, two music genres that could not be further apart. A twelve piece jazz band coupled with two ‘fiddy-cent’ wannabes. Surely a recipe for disaster? The actual result is one of pure genius – the type you can bust a move or two to.
The best thing about these nights so far is the lack of emphasis forced on getting your ‘baps’ out and your butt pinched. A relief to say the least. There seems to be no ulterior motive and the focus is on having a great time experiencing something, in a word, exciting. It’s all too easy at university to become unfortunately closed-minded and increasingly it seems university passes by too fast to let this happen. At the end of the night, you know that those big name clubs will always be there when you need a hit of pure cheese, but for now it’s time to dig yourself out of the rut. Not every experience of change will be truly mind blowing but it is surely worth a try. You’ll regret it if you don’t. After all, what’s the worse that could happen?
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