Footlights’ column gives us a snapshot into what is happening in the run up to ‘West Side Story’, their Northcott show, first show this Wednesday the 29th.
This week’s Footlights’ blog introduces The American Jet Boys! The boys are very quick-tempered and determined to take control of the streets of New York. Watch the clip to see what they have been doing in ‘rehearsals’.
Perhaps you chose to live a little bit further out to have a nice house for less money, or perhaps you just get a bit bored with your five minute trek from halls to the centre of campus.
Whatever your situation, here are a few (mostly serious) suggestions on how you can liven up your walk to university when week three rolls around and it begins to get just a bit repetitive…
Listento music. OK if you haven’t already picked up on this habit, it’s a good one. Plug into your iPhone/Android/MP3 player and get strutting. It’s like a movie soundtrack in your head and no one has to know what you’re listening to so it can be as embarrassing as you like. Time Lord rock, anyone…? No? Just me?
Invest. Image credits: juanpol
Choreograph. This one’s probably just me as well, but get some dance inspiration going on when you walk. See me in the street and you can pretty much guarantee that I have some new dance routine under construction in my head. It’s the perfect opportunity to work out your killer routine for later that evening.
Actuallydance. Go wild, let’s start a whole impromptu musical number! Depending on your levels of self-awareness, you might want to save this one until returning from your late-night library sessions when no one else is around, but kudos to you if you choose to lighten the rest of our mornings by busting a few of those Arena moves on the way to a 9am.
One for Vic Street, perhaps. Image credits: donald judge
Knock on everybody’s doors/sing really loudly as you walk past. Waking people up because you need to be awake when they don’t is a great way to make friends. And once they’re up, they might as well get on with some work. You’re only helping them, really, it’s a win-win situation for all involved.
Go on Tinder in the middle of a mass student migration to campus. You know the ones, I mean, when you suddenly find yourself on Union Road and surrounded by about a thousand other students. Whether you use Tinder to simply amuse yourself or to actually find someone for later, you’re never in a better place than in a huge group of students. Just try not to let anyone catch your eye, that might be awkward.
Get a bike. As my housemate so scornfully commented when I mentioned this topic. If the walk is so bothersome, perhaps it is not for you. Why not invest in a bike and learn to cope with the traffic instead? At least you’ll be able to lie in a few minutes later in the mornings… (As long as you can find somewhere to lock it up when you get there!)
Try to stay on it though. Image credits: Pascal Maramis
Back with your fortnightly fix of the worlds of science and psychology, Catherine Heffner talks about what beauty really is.
We can find beauty in the strangest of places. From a line in a poem, to a laugh, to a great guitar riff, to an equation, to the view from that train journey you took down to Exmouth last week. At the risk of sounding like a bit of a hippy – beauty is everywhere. But how is it that we can look at such a mass of contrasting things and identify them all quite easily in our minds as ‘beautiful’?
Perhaps the mystery of our perception of all things beautiful is explained in our biological ancestry. Denis Dutton, professor of the philosophy of aesthetics, believes the most powerful theory of beauty comes from none other than Charles Darwin. Dutton reasons that beauty is one component in a series of evolutionary adaptations. Through natural selection, we gained phobias and revulsions, such as the fear of heights or the disgust at the smell of rotting food, which act as protective measures. In the survival of the fittest, the populations best suited for their environment would out-compete all other populations. Therefore those organisms with phobias or revulsions that allowed them to avoid harmful stimuli would out-compete those who did not, and would survive and reproduce to pass their advantageous genes to further generations.
But on the flipside of phobias and revulsions, we have beauty and attraction, which serve for a very different purpose. Darwin observed many adaptations in animals that seem to have arisen via sexual selection. These are the adaptations that almost undermine the idea of natural selection. Take, for instance, the peacock. It invests a huge amount of energy and bodily resources into the growth of its incredible tail feathers. Even worse, it makes the peacock more vulnerable to predation by weighing it down and making it an easy target. So why would it bother?
This concept seems to have truly puzzled Darwin, who wrote in 1860 “…the sight of a feather in a peacock’s tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me feel sick!” But Darwin went on to describe how he had no doubt that the peacock’s tail was ‘beautiful’ to the peahen, and that the mating choices of the peahens must have changed evolutionary history. So perhaps the perception of beauty arose in the context of sexual selection. There’s even a school of thought based on this idea called ‘Aesthetic Darwinism’ which asserts that all human art can
Image credits: Madison Berndt
be explained through these Darwinian ideas of sexual selection.
Now art is an interesting one to pick up on here. Some would indeed argue that the beauty we see in art comes from some subtle but deeply ingrained notion from our evolutionary history. Russian artist Alexander Melamid investigated this concept in terms of visual arts. In 1995, he attempted to figure out what it is that people find beautiful in visual art and why by surveying people from 17 different countries on their artistic preferences. The survey included questions about aspects of visual art such as content, style and colour. The results he obtained revealed some very interesting things about human concept of aesthetics. Predictably people from certain cultures preferred different things. For instance Europeans were more likely to prefer a nudist piece than Americans. However, there were many areas in which people from different cultures had similar preferences – for example, the rate of preference for the colour blue was remarkably consistent across all countries.
Image credits: FunGi_ (Trading)
Melamid then created a piece of art based on the overarching preferences found between these countries – his attempt at the ideal piece of art. As it happens, this piece of art is actually a landscape and, amazingly, it closely resembles our early ancestor’s settlement. People reported that they preferred a landscape where water was visible, where there was evidence of bird life and greenery. They preferred a scene with trees that forked near the ground and where a path or shoreline extended into the distance. These preferences were consistent in people from all countries, even in the countries that don’t have this landscape! Some would say it’s reminiscent of the savannah landscapes that our early ancestors would have inhabited. Harvard Professor Nancy Etcoff believes this landscape reflects the deep evolutionary roots of the perception of beauty. All the elements in the art reflect the ability of the landscape to sustain life – water, shelter, nutrients etc.
But can our ancestral or cultural backgrounds really explain something as complex as beauty?
Perhaps the answer to the question of beauty lies in psychology rather than biology. Many people have looked at the brain to try and establish what we think when we perceive something beautiful. One neuroimaging experiment carried out by Blood and Zatorre in 2001 managed to find a psychological basis for ‘shivers-down-the-spine’ or ‘chills’. In the experiment, PET brain scans of musicians were taken while they listened to a piece of music that they found particularly thrilling. The researchers found that areas of the brain related to reward were activated (that is, the thalamus, midbrain), and areas associated with fear and anger (the amygdala) were deactivated. The researchers noted that these results are particularly amazing since music seemed to elicit the same effects on the brain as food or drugs of abuse, even though music is neither an essential element for survival, nor does it have a pharmacological basis like food and drugs do. However, these results may be much less surprising to someone who argues that we need beauty for survival, just as much as food or water or the air we breathe. As countless arts therapists have demonstrated, beauty in the arts of any form can have a wonderful power to heal.
World-renowned designer Richard Seymour doesn’t claim to be a neuroscientist, but his ideas on the perception of beauty are deeply focussed on the brain. Seymour identifies beauty as a very personal, particular series of sensations that he, as a designer, has tuned himself to pay attention to. He illustrates this by describing the lights in a car. It turns out that people generally prefer having the car light go from light to dark slowly in six seconds rather than in a quick flash. Why? Seymour likened this lighting effect to the beginning of a movie or a stage production. At the moment where the lights go down in the auditorium, you feel a sense of anticipation and excitement. Moreover, people who go to movies or theatre productions more frequently tend to have a higher preference for this design in a car. So perhaps it’s a learned association that accounts for this perception of beauty. Furthermore, Seymour reasons that since the neural pathways to the sensory parts of the brain are much shorter than the more cognitive pathways, you start to feel beauty before you even think about it. The instantaneous reaction to beauty is not a thought but a feeling.
So what then is beauty? Is merely the consequence of evolution or the carefully coordinated firing of certain neurones? Well, connected to all these ideas is the concept that beauty is a sensation. You feel a sense of reward or you feel a sense of desire. As Seymour puts it, beauty is a series of sensations. So maybe beauty isn’t something that we see but something that we feel. Maybe things we see as beautiful are just the things that make you feel full of ‘beauty’.
A new year, a new unprecedented announcement from Exeter’s pioneering dance collective Thick as Thieves. It seems as if the bass-mad gang are on a mission to take over Exeter and transform it into a bass-mad city. And later this year the collective are – literally – commandeering the streets.
In May this year Exeter’s Thieves, in association with their partners in grime, Our House and Beats & Bass Society, will slink out from the doldrums of Cellar Door and take over Exeter with Hijacked Festival – a day dedicated to dance music hedonism.
Hijacked Festival 2014 Image Credit: Thick as Thieves
2,000 people will cram in an open-air venue comprised of three stages set to showcase the crème de la crème of electronic dance music. The Thieves, Our House and Beats & Bass are responsible for bringing some of the biggest and best names in dance music to the South West over the past two years – think Duke Dumont, Shadowchild and Kry Wolf – and the summer event is an exciting next step for Exeter’s burgeoning dance music scene.
Hijacked promises to be one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the calendar year as The Thieves & friends look to bring music mayhem to the masses on an industrial scale.
The line up for the all-day party is set to be announced on Tuesday 11th February when early bids can flock the their computers to eat up the cheapest batch of tickets.
WHEN Billy Elliot springs onto the stage in the final scene, it is undeniably an iconic moment. Not only is he dancing away from the stigma of his society, but also the shattered relationships of his hometown, and the loss which has rocked his family. The ballet he so eloquently participates in is Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, a performance which, although controversial, is a stunning interpretation of the classic Russian Ballet.
Image credit: Theatre Royal Plymouth
Dubbed a ‘miracle’ by Time Out magazine, this is a modern take on the traditional story. In the original, a prince falls in love with a swan – a princess – who has been cursed by an evil witch. Instead of this classic storyline however, Bourne’s take is homoerotic and most famously features a bevy of male swans in place of the classic female group.
The story begins with a depiction of the Prince’s life – his sheltered upbringing, and participation in court etiquette. Unable to form functioning relationships, and denied the love of his mother, he is driven to despair and turns to drink. On the brink of throwing himself into a lake, however, he is intercepted by a flock of swans. Falling in love with their beauty, his obsession with his encounter goes on to shape his relationships for the rest of the play, controlling his life and driving him to the point of madness.
Bourne’s take is very loosely based on the original narrative, although it can hardly be described as a ballet at all – there was only one scene in which pointe shoes were used, and this was a satirical play-within-a-play. Instead, it is more an interpretive, contemporary dance, with the inclusion of ballet techniques.
A particularly striking feature which was prominent throughout was the use of shadow, especially within the mental asylum where the Prince is surrounded by illusions and visions. Tchaikovsky’s eerie and haunting musical score (one of the only things preserved from the original ballet) is one of the highlights, although it would have been nice to have this performed by a real orchestra.
The Swans Image credit: Theatre Royal Plymouth
Throughout the past 18 years of production, Bourne’s Swan Lake has deliberately been left ambiguous, and this was no less evident in this performance. Do the swans express the love the Prince is starved of by his cold, unwavering mother? Is the passionate dance in which he engages with the male swan so intensely a sexual relationship, his mental instability, a figment of his imagination, or an expression of freedom? This is left open to the audience’s interpretation. Although Bourne has described the performance as “a duet about the need to be loved, not particularly sexual” this feature is emphasised, with whips, touchy-feely dances and insinuations throughout; definitely inappropriate for the young children in the audience!
A particularly striking moment was the scene in which the swan (disguised as an exotic stranger) shatters the already fragile relationship between the Prince and his mother. In a final, painful act of betrayal, the Queen, a figure whom the Prince so earnestly wanted to be loved by, but who constantly rejected his attentions, so quickly and freely gives her love to another man and a stranger, no less.
The only criticism I have of the performance is the ‘clubbing’ scene. I was not the only one to find the bumping and grinding to Tchaikovsky’s orchestration a little weird, to say the least. The addition of the ‘girlfriend’ – the prince’s only true relationship apart from his mother’s, with her long blonde extensions and WAG-like persona – was also a character that was lost on me.
Ending with a deafening five minute standing ovation to a packed theatre, this can truly be described as a modern classic. It expresses a growing liberal outlook in current society, and is beautifully and powerfully executed. Even if you do not like ballet, this is much less like a dance and more like a sequence of complex human emotions, and if even that does not change your mind, at least go for the clenched buttocks!
The Beats and Bass crew are on a roll. After luring Artwork to their new spiritual home at the Cellar Door last week, the music mad clan have bagged yet another heavyweight in the form of Mak and Pasteman. The duo will take over the quayside venue for a night of unparalleled partying.
Image Credit: beatsandbass
They may sound like a builders’ merchants or a law firm, but Mak and Pasteman have garnered a big reputation in a short period of time after breaking out of the Leeds underground scene in 2011. The twosome, singed to Lobster Boy, draw heavily on soulful beats to craft a sound that bridges House, Techno and Jungle. Tracks like Mak and Pasteman’s ‘Chunky’ and huge summer banger ‘Dither’ were made for the dark doldrums of Cellar Door and promise to go down well with the house heads.Carefully crafted samples compliment deep basslines and garage beats to produce tracks cut from the same cloth as the likes of Leofah, Boddika and Paleman. The result is an uncompromising sound that has earned them headline spots all over the world, including Ibiza Rocks and Hideout.
It is testament to Exeter’s growing music scene that such renowned acts come down and party in our humble little city. Much of the credit goes to both student-run Beats and Bass and Thick as Thieves for continuing to attract big names and providing the perfect platform for DJs to showcase their talents.
Swamp 81’s Klose One will provide support for the headliners. One for the dance music purists, Klose One began on pirate radios and has ended up as one of the most respected DJs in the scene. No genre is spared the Klose One treatment: 4/4 Garage, House and Techno will fill up the underground pit with all the energy and effortless mixing regularly displayed on his Rinse FM slot. Classic hits meet cutting edge dubplates to form the perfect warm up for the main event.
Get your tickets on the door for £5 (BnB members) or £7 for non-members.
In May 2012 the track ‘Feel the Love’ hit the airwaves for the first time. It debuted on the charts at number one in June after selling over 90,000 copies and being dubbed Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record in the World’. The tune quickly became one of the summer’s anthems. To say it was a surprise was understatement – especially to the four unknown Hackney producers responsible for the mesmeric sound.
Rudimental, also known as Piers Agget, Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and Leon Rolle, grew up together in Hackney, London. They came from fairly ordinary backgrounds and had ordinary jobs before they began joining forces in 2011. The foursome were signed to Asylum Records and began mixing up guitar solos with drum and bass. In a recent interview Amor commented that ‘labels didn’t want us because they didn’t know where to put us – I think we scared them off a bit’. The labels were made to eat their words when Rudimental’s debut Home Charted at number one in April this year.
Rudimental played 40 Festivals this summer Image Credit: bbc.co.uk
Home is a diverse album which masterfully balances drum and bass, rap, soul, gospel and pop. It’s a brilliant mix of songs, opening with the steady backbeat of the title track that ooze before launching into the anthemic ‘Feel the Love’ which with the help of John Newman’s vocals creates a party feeling of excitement and adrenaline that gets any dance floor grooving. Whilst not as fast paced, Angel Haze’s slick rapping on ‘Hell Could Freeze’ showcases the producer’s ability to mix it up and lay down house-infused hip-hop beats.
Home slows down in the middle with songs like ‘Spoons’ that can be best described as a trance-saturated haunting song that showcases the strong soul influence on the record. In fact, some of their soulful songs are at least equal to their anthems. The strings and piano in ‘Powerless’ add a softer note to a striking vocal that hits home like a hammer blow on the chorus.
Anthem fans fear not, Home picks up as it heads for the end. ‘Not Giving In’ sees returning John Newman deliver a powerful vocal performance, while the ubiquitous penultimate track ‘Waiting All Night’ marries catchy lyrics, blaring trumpets and a throbbing DnB to form a perfect pop song. Home finishes as it started: with a soulful voice and a beautiful tune. The climax track ‘Free’ demonstrates the eclectic talents of the producers as it tones down the electronic feel of the hit singles in favour of a more vocal-orientated sound that makes it all the sweeter to listen to. It’s a beautifully mellow end to a very exciting album.
The standout feature of Home is not just the blend of music on the album, but the wonderful mashing and moulding of genres. From the trumpet blaring over a drum and bass beat on ‘Not Giving In’ to the piano riff on ‘Right Here’, Rudimental show a love for all kinds of music; it is this fusion that makes them stand out in the monotonous pop music scene. There isn’t another sound like them around and whilst the theme of drum and bass/electronic music is the main event, there’s something for any listener to latch onto and enjoy.
They may not be the bookies favourites but Rudimental have what it takes to win the Mercury Prize. They’ve come from nowhere to produce an album where every song is unique and fantastic. It’s more than just the jaw-dropping vocals; it’s the brilliance of the production, and the skill of matching the vocals to music. And it is this marriage of originality, craftsmanship and quality that ensure Rudimental stand as much a chance of winning the coveted Prize as much as anyone of the shortlist.
Want to know what arty activities you can partake in at Exeter University? Read Online Arts Editor Giverny Masso’s alphabetical guide for snapshots of every arts related society – from Exeter University Theatre Company to the Circus Society see what sparks your interest.
Art Society
Art Society’s exhibition in the Phoenix Image credit: Art Society
“Art Society is all about getting creative and is open to everyone, no matter what your artistic ability is. We hold weekly life drawing and print and textiles sessions, as well as having ‘open studio’ sessions where members can come and use the art studio for their own projects and generally get messy without having to worry about not getting your deposit back! For more info click here.”
Playing with fire; the Circus Society Image credit: Circus Society
Breakdancing Society
“The breakdancing society has performed in the RAG Fashion Show, Dancing Devon, Strictly come dancing and the finals of Exeter’s Got Talent. All abilities are welcomed so don’t be shy if you’ve never breakdanced before! Lessons are taught at both a total beginner and an intermediate level in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. Socials are different from other societies in that you go out and dance – It’s great fun and gives everyone a chance to showcase their skills in a real-life setting!”
Circus Society
“The circus society’s objective is to gather anybody with an interest in the performing arts into a cooperating troupe. Together, we aim to organize shows which will encompass various disciplines, such as juggling, acrobatics, fire-dancing, hula-hopping, martial arts, and others. There is no selectivity to join the circus society: anybody is welcome. Whether you are a perfect beginner or a master acrobat, you will certainly find your place amongst us!”
DanceSport Society
“We are one of the University’s largest societies, we teach classes in all the Ballroom and Latin dances, and hold a weekly salsa social. All are welcome, including complete beginners; you don’t need special shoes, or clothes, and you don’t even need a partner!
With regular classes with a World Champion coach, practice sessions, technique classes, and socials, we are a very active society. Dancing is a great way of making friends, and can improve communication, team participation and even your memory skills (all very handy for any CV!). Check us out on Facebook here.”
Exeter University DanceSport Society Image Credit: DanceSport Society
Drama Society
“The Drama Society is the place to be for not only Exeter Drama students but also any student interested in drama and theatre. Our online magazine, The Green Room, provides you with all the information you could possibly need: upcoming shows in local theatres, auditions and shows from all the theatrical societies at Exeter, and all student auditions and performances. With regular reviews, witty articles and much more, it is all you need to keep up to date with drama at Exeter. And of course, we have regular socials and trips where you will learn how to party like a Drama student!”
EUTco
“EUTCo is Exeter University’s longest running theatre company and is the go-to society for exploring your creative impulses on the stage. As well as offering opportunities that include directing, acting and producing, amongst other things, EUTCo can offer a great University social experience with termly get-togethers and a great sense of community. For more information visit our website here.”
Image credit: Fashion Society
Fashion Society
“Exeter Fashion Society needs YOU! Whether your interest lies in fashion, modelling, photography, journalism/blogging, art, events management or a simple love of clothes, we’d love to have you. If you tick any or all of the boxes, why not check out our Facebook page and our blog.”
Folk Society
“Folk society includes dance, music and singing with a weekly pub session! We host ceilidh dancing workshops and also dance rapper, a traditional North-Eastern display dance with swords. For more information please visit our website here .”
Footlights Society
“Footlights is the University’s biggest musical theatre society that performs show-stopping productions at the Northcott Theatre and in the M+D room. After the Mayor of Exeter claiming that last year’s “Thoroughly Modern Millie” was our best show yet, and a legacy of fantastic productions, Footlights continues to go from strength to strength.”
Gilbert & Sullivan Society
“As Exeter University’s longest running student performing arts society, at 46 years old, we are proud of our reputation for bringing to life the works of Gilbert and Sullivan in our highly rated performances every year.
We are a friendly and inclusive society that gives everyone a chance to perform and enjoy Gilbert and Sullivan operettas in the professional setting of the Northcott Theatre.”
Photo Society
Stunning Devon landscape photography from PhotoSoc member Siddharth Jayaraman, click here to see more of his work. Image credit: Siddharth Jayaraman
“Whether you are a professional photographer or just planning to start taking your first photos, Photo Society is the place for you!
Members have full access to the darkroom, A3 colour printer and various photography equipment. We organise trips, socials, workshops, exhibits and competitions. To see a full list of benefits of joining PhotoSoc, click here.”
Pole Dancing Society
“Pole dancing is great fun and incredibly rewarding! You be taught spins and moves that will improve your strength, fitness and coordination in such a way that you will be able to choreograph your own routines.
The Society encourages members to participate as much as possible, so there will be many performances and competitions available throughout the year for anyone to partake in, at any ability.”
Poster for Shotgun Theatre’s last show ‘1000 Suns’ – a post apocalyptic folk rock musical Image credit: Shotgun Theatre
Shotgun Theatre
“Shotgun is the newest addition to Exeter’s growing host of theatre societies. We are proud to offer our members enjoyable, quirky performance opportunities; be that in one of our two annual musicals, termly cabarets, workshops and socials. Whilst we work hard to achieve fantastic results, the most important thing to us is to have a good time! Find us on Facebook here.”
Tadpole Theatre
“Hello! We’re Tadpole Theatre. We’re an emerging Exeter-based theatre company and would love to get you involved in one of our shows! Our mission is to compliment theatre with other art forms in order to create highly physical, story-telling pieces. Want to find out more? We aren’t a Guild Society, but we are a student run theatre group so to find us like us on Facebook, follow us @TadpoleTheatre, or read our blog.
Theater Goers Society
“Theatre Goers Society provides fantastic opportunities to get together and see some truly amazing shows at discount prices. We’re very excited about our upcoming trips to see the Reduced Shakespeare Company in Plymouth, and Curious Incident in London. It’s going to be a great year for theatre- don’t miss out! Visit our Facebook page here.”
Theatre with Teeth
“Theatre With Teeth is Exeter’s foremost producer of new writing, adaptations, devised work and physical theatre. We create bold, new and relevant theatre, with our work performed across Exeter and beyond. Our productions receive tailor-made support, and foster developing talent through a broad range of workshops and events. Visit our website here or follow us on twitter @TWTExeter.”
Tadpole Theatre’s latest production ‘Small People’ Image credit: Tadpole Theatre
University Dance
“We run weekly classes in ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, street, hip-hop, limbering and Irish. Being a DanceSOC member will give you the chance to audition for University events, our inter-university Competition squad and for performances in Exeter’s best nightclubs. DanceSOC socials are great fun and have included masquerade balls, pub quizzes and nights out! Feel free to get in touch with any questions to eet202@exeter.ac.uk.”
Click here for the listing of all these societies on the Students’ Guild website where you can join up or find out more information.
Going out on the town is the most important part of university. Don’t trouble yourself with lectures, societies or that essay on hegemonic power structures in the first half of the twentieth century due in tomorrow. They are all a frivolous waste of time. No, the real reason you’re spewing away £9,000 a year is to guzzle down Co-op’s own brand vodka (or a bottle of Blossom Hill Rose for you sophisticated few), get sweaty, pour your heart out to that girl/guy you’ve never have the courage to talk to at 3 o’clock after the 2-4-1’s undone the writer’s block, and then resign yourself to the fact that the only thing touching your lips that evening will be a consoling burger on the stumble back to halls. And then wake up the following day feeling like a pig has shat in your head while you search for a definition of ‘hegemony’ on the internet. Or maybe that’s just me?
Image Credit: technomaster.co.uk
Regardless, Exeter boasts an eclectic and enjoyable nightlife that belies its reputation and small size. Sounded out below is an extensive menu of what some of Exeter’s finest establishments have to offer on Mondays and Tuesdays. Whether you love to mash along to those chart bangers or are edgier than a dodecahedron, Exeposé Music has you covered as we guide you through the options available to a go-getting night crawler.
This wonderfully named night is the obvious choice for any students feeling dirty and, er, sexy. DJ Will B spins an sporadically enjoyable blend of crowd-pleasing chart with the odd dubstep-lite mash up. He also champions crowd participation through taking requests on Twitter (although he’s never dropped Usher’s ‘Climax’ in spite of my relentless pleading). Arena boasts a decent size arena that fills up after 11pm. Drinks are reasonably priced but queues can be sober-inducing.
Inside tip: get a stamp early and head to Monkey Suit for 2-4-1 cocktails and a good atmosphere.
Although memories of what the heat of the sun feels like are fading quicker than our tans, Clique, a new student night held at Timepiece, is kicking off its weekly events with a beach party for the start of Freshers. Expect a lot of sand, cocktails and speedos. Clique is putting on a month of themed nights including a UV Rave, N.E.R.D. party (let’s hope Pharell actually turns up) and a ‘celebrity’ night. It may not be one for the music elite, but with cheap drinks deals, an incentive to dress up and a promotional pass available to students (£16 for a month), Clique could well be the new go-to event for students on Monday nights.
Inside tip: I use ‘celebrity’ in the loosest sense of the word.
4Play (what is it with Mondays and crudely sexualised event names?) takes place across town in Mosaic. The night is cut from the same frilly lingerie cloth as Dirty Sexy People: expect big queues, very attractive drinks deals (2-4-1 cocktails, £1 shots, cheap mixers) and a heady mix of recognisable pseudo-dubstep, house, RnB and Hip Hop anthems. Queues can be a big problem, spanning three levels as students agonisingly wait to enter the top top floor (think that staircase at Hogwarts if the fire alarm went off). You’ll get more second and third years attending this night along with a healthy portion of the Exetah brigade in their Z-list ‘VIP’ booths.
Inside tip: buy a few drinks downstairs if there’s long queues.
TUESDAY
TaT are kicking off the term with an exciting boat party Image Credit: tatexeter.co.uk
The pioneering Thieves have been at the forefront of Exeter’s growing dance music scene since 2011. The bi-weekly night offers the best in underground music at a suitably dark and dingy underground cellar by the quay. Resident DJ’s spin a luscious blend of DnB, Garage, Jungle and, most prominently, Bass music. Big name acts draw heavy crowds, with the likes of Duke Dumont, Shadow Child and Fred V & Grafix performing last year. And this term you can expect even bigger artists, bigger bass and bigger boat parties. The prices are more dear and the wide eyed snap back wearing crowd sometimes a little too hip, but the Thieves consistently lay down quality nights for those seeking something else besides mainstream monotony.
Cheesy Tuesdays does what it says on the tin: it plays cheesy music every, um, Tuesday. Stacking more of the smelly stuff than Wallace’s fridge, the Arena DJ’s fart out a thick, rich mix of shameless pop for an eager audience that consistently laps up every last morsel. Although seasoned with occasional enjoyable classics (Eminem, Kate Nash etc), the night descends into an full-fat cheese fest, with Bob the Builder and Barbie Girl frequently polluting the airwaves. Stodgier than these cheese analogies, Cheesy Tuesdays is the number one night for those seeking to indulge in a cheap slice of gorganzola strength madness.
Inside tip: book tickets via the Arena site to avoid loooong queues.
Beats & Bass have moved from The Cavern to alternate weeks with TaT at The Cellar Door. A strong dose of luscious House, boomtastic Bass, rolling Jungle and deep minimal Techno promises to reach new levels of darkness in the Cellar’s eerie doldrums. If you’re a proper basshead, be sure to join the B&B family by signing up to the society for cheap entry prices, brilliant DJ workshops and festival promotions. If you know your Boddika’s from your Bondax’s, then Tuesday nights will become your favourite of the week.
Feast Your Ears is a brand spanking new night looking to bring students more live music. The night will be held every week at Mama Stones and promises to feature a range of local acts, buskers and critically acclaimed bands. Mama Stones will be the perfect venue for an event that looks to offer a more intimate and nuanced musical experience and, with impressive acts including The Deets and Sam Mayo and X Factor’s Luke Friend already confirmed, the night looks set to become a firm favourite for Exeter’s indie faithful.
‘Legends’ is for the ‘Lads’. All the lads that make up the sports teams don their finest chinos and shirts for a night of being lads with the lads ’cause they’re all lads! (For an accurate representation, have a look at this enjoyable video). Joking aside, you don’t have to be a sports team member to contribute to the carnage. The club is always packed out to ensure a frenetic and fun atmosphere. The big floor lays down generic mainstream beats, while upstairs showcases more enjoyable slick RnB grooves offset by club bangers. TP Wednesdays will become a permanent feature in the fixture list of sportsmen and women, but it might just be worth popping along to if you fancy a bit of mid week madness. Or to pull a fit rugby player. Plus the burgers ain’t bad either.
KINK is another newborn student night looking to redress the balance regarding the live music in Exeter. The bi-weekly night will showcase some of the best new UK musical talent at one of Exeter’s most famous and finest underground venues, The Cavern. The intimate cave will form the perfect backdrop for the up-and-coming acts who promise to cover all genres and interests. With cheap prices and a genuinely exciting alternative to the TP sportsfest, we are very excited about getting up close and personal to a host of brilliant live acts like Mausi and Wolf Alice.
Previews for the rest of the week will follow shortly. Like our Facebook to keep up to date with everything musical in Exeter.
Call off any plans you may have for the 7th June and head down to the Phoenix for what promises to be one of the biggest and best events of the year. Exeter’s own Thick as Thieves have teamed up with dance music giants ‘DIRTYBIRD’ to throw a huge party so you can celebrate the end of exams and herald the start of summer in style as dance heavyweights behind the desks spin the best of DnB, House, Jungle and Dubstep.
The Thieves have been at the forefront of Exeter’s burgeoning scene and have enjoyed a hugely successful year promoting the cream of Exeter’s local talent, while also attracting household names, including the likes of chart-topping Duke Dumont, to the deep, dark depths of The Cellar Door.
And the student-run set-up have upped their game one again for a final flourish. Acts from Claude Vonstroke’s DIRTYBIRD label will be behind the decks, with a plethora of talent is offer: UK based dance veteran Shadow Child, genre-bending Kill Frenzy, innovative Kry Wolf and exciting house producer Friend Within will all look to lay down soulful, bass-heavy grooves to ensure the dance floor and ear drums pulsate throughout the night. Thieves residents Tonic, Budos and Simba will provide support and continue to show us what they do best.
Elsewhere, fellow party people ‘Beats and Bass’ will command Room II with their distinguished murky mix of DnB, jungle and dubstep that so many have enjoyed this year at The Cavern. Keeping the B&B residents company are Manchester-based Compa, who will be spinning a rolling, textured minimalist dub sound to compliment the energetic, swarming DnB offered by LSB.
Other Cellar Door squatters ‘Exit’ will occupy the Terrace, with residents OJF, JOSH TOOGOOD & WONKA supporting AERIAL, while ‘Our House’ residents SOUTHPAW, VANDELEUR, WILL THOMPSON & WITHDREW will pump out the grooves in the bar. It’s a true bassy love affair not to be missed.
There is a free BBQ starting at 7.30 running through until 9, before the real party begins at 10pm. Get your tickets here – it’s sure to be a night packed full of good company, great dancing and some of the best electronic music around.
exeposedev 