Mondays: the perfect time to reset, push forward with academic endeavours, and jumpstart the week ahead… right? In the case of this particular Monday, the 24th of October, BPM Music Collective had other plans. When I first saw the advertisement for BPM | THIRTEEN | XIII, I just knew I had to attend, even if it meant perhaps putting off my tutorial readings a day longer. The flyer boasted an evening of the macabre, detailing a ‘Halloween hardcore club night show.’ What could be better than getting the Halloween festivities started a week in advance? For this specific Halloween edition BPM event, I took note of the ‘No Costume, No Entry’ declaration on the advertisement. If there’s one thing BPM knows how to do well, it is promoting their events. I always appreciate the dedication of everyone involved when it comes to getting people excited for the event, such as creating unique and intriguing promotional photos and carefully curating their event descriptions to intrigue attendees. I know, at least for me, these tactics work.
I was excited for this event all week leading up to it, and made sure I had a costume lined up. BPM events in St Andrews are typically hosted at The Vic, a personal favourite venue of mine. The eccentric decor, spacious dance floor, and two separate social rooms each with their own bar ensure that no matter where you choose to hang around with your pals, you won’t be disappointed. The convenient cloakroom is also a huge upside, especially at a costumed event – ensuring no one has to lug their coat around or try to strategically hide it in a corner if they don’t want to.
Source: BPM Music Collective
Upon entry, I was freshly stamped with the notorious VIC hand stamp, and made my way up the stairs into the event space. I immediately took note of the dark lighting throughout the venue as opposed to the typical LEDs, and applauded their commitment to the macabre bit. I believe lighting is one of the often overlooked but key factors to a successful club night. No one particularly enjoys trying to dance under harsh, bright lighting, and the lighting at BPM makes it much easier to slip away into the night and feel as if you are in an escape from reality. If I had to conjure up one downfall to BPM’s dim lighting, it would be that for this particular event it did make it a bit harder to see people’s Halloween costumes. Nonetheless, I was still able to pick up on the wide variety of costumes people brought to the night here and there, and they did not disappoint. There’s nothing like dancing in the crowd right beside a witch, or a cat, or a devil, or whatever else someone has decided to become for the evening.
As per usual, my ears were graced with the eclectic mix of music BPM provides at all of its events. If there’s one event in town that truly understands the importance of a variety of tunes, BPM takes the prize. I can always expect to hear some good old classic throwbacks, a nice mix of hip hop and R&B, some house, and much more. The music on this Halloween event did not disappoint. As per usual, there was quite a variety of music styles, with the incorporation of some Halloween-esque music not going unnoticed. Unsurprisingly, it was quite evident that the crowd was enjoying the music as well. The energy in the crowd at BPM is unrivalled – and to me it felt like this energy was intensified at this themed event. At club nights, it’s quite typical to take note of the dancefloor-observers, those who hang out at the back away from the action. At this week’s BPM, the observer tally was remarkably low, with almost everyone being engaged in the crowd and seemingly having a great time.
At BPM events, the DJ stand is set up in the middle of the dance floor, as opposed to how it’s typically placed at the very front or the far back. When I first started attending BPM events, I can admit I was skeptical of this placement, wouldn’t this create a divisive dance floor? However, I’ve come to realize that this is actually quite a great setup for a club night, and is quite refreshing from the typical wide-open-space dance floor. People have the option to stand on any four sides of the DJ stand, and there’s no doubt that wherever you choose to stand, you’ll still be immersed in the crowd and have a great time. Some might say that this makes for a quite overcrowded space, but I think that it ensures a lively environment, and makes event-goers really feel like they are a part of the action.
Source: BPM Music Collective
All in all, BPM | THIRTEEN | XIII lived up to all of my expectations. This event served as a perfect way to kick off the week leading up to Halloween, and acted as a great way to break up the work week and make me forget for a moment that it was only Monday evening. I would recommend future BPM events to anyone looking to enjoy a great night out in St Andrews besides the typical Club 601. As for providing an evening of the macabre and Halloween spirit, BPM certainly delivered.
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