As I write this article, sniffling away at my computer with what I refuse to believe is Freshers’ Flu, I have to put my hands in the air and say that I feel I’ve let myself down this Freshers’ Week. It was a scorching one – the hottest I have ever seen – yet returning to St Andrews as an honours student for the first time meant I spent more of the week than I would care to admit holed up in the library, as opposed to attending the awesome events on offer; the only review of Starfields I can personally give is that their sound system is impressive enough that I could hear other people having fun from the library. I am ashamed to say I didn’t venture to the Freshers’ tent even once in my quest to adopt academic children, and so I couldn’t possibly tell you what it was like to experience a large number of drunk students using a port-a-loo… in hindsight, maybe that is a good thing. However, on Friday night, after a long week of dreaming of 601 (who would’ve thought!) I finally managed to get myself out and about to attend DTF: Fresh Meat, at the Vic.
Source: Google Maps.
As the night began, my hopes were high. After all, Down to Funk (DTF) rarely disappoints in terms of music. If you are new to St Andrews and looking for house music – with a bit of disco and funk thrown in – there aren’t many places you’re going to find it (unless it’s a house remix of Mr Brightside you’re after). DTF, however, is a collective that provides high-quality house and funk tunes no matter what setting they’re in and this event was no exception. Spirits were high in the main room of the Vic as the featured DJs –UK club duo Gav & Jezz – engaged heavily with the crowd, maintaining a party atmosphere throughout. Another nice touch was the graphics they displayed on the Vic’s TV screens that worked to create a rave environment in a venue that, it is fair to say, sees more golfers than ravers.
This, unfortunately, provided the one hiccup of the evening. To set the scene, it was Friday night of Freshers’ Week. Not to mention, a Freshers’ Week during which Club 601 at the Student Union was not open. This means it was inevitable that any event happening in The Vic would be sold out and very busy. It was because of this that at around 11:30 a large number of members of the student body arrived at the Vic. This, naturally, consisted not just of ticket holders but also those who had gone to pre’s with their friends and inevitably been persuaded ‘there won’t be any queue, just buy a ticket on the door.’ It was because of this that we found ourselves stuck in a crowd of people all desperately shoving towards the front, meaning those of us in the middle were being crushed into those in front of us. Whilst I will admit being shoved into people I hadn’t seen in four months did provide an interesting – if rather intimate – way to catch up with them, it was a less than enjoyable experience.
Source: The Vic St Andrews.
That said, once we did manage to get inside, it was a very fun evening and, if it did one positive thing, the crush did help to create the atmosphere of being at a large music festival. Who knows? Maybe it was just a clever marketing tactic? Maybe the Vic is taking notes from the Union with their port-a-loos? All in all, if you enjoy house music, I would definitely check out Down to Funk’s events. At the end of the day, crowds are the sign of a popular event and once we were inside there was a lot of dancing and a lot of socializing – exactly what you want at a Freshers’ club night.
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