Exeposé Exclusive – KINK.

Music lovers, take note, Exeter’s live music scene is changing for the better. It’s time to bid farewell to the chart yawnfests and welcome an exciting fresh take on the student night out as KINK, a new bi-weekly student night, takes to the floor at Exeter’s own Cavern Club. Founders Lewis Lawrence and Cam Jones are giving Exeposé Music the exclusive low-down on something that’ll get the whole town talking.

So, what’s the deal? KINK will bring great, up and coming live bands and DJs from all over the UK down to Exeter to provide a student night like no other, and a window into the future of national music. Artists from genres ranging through pop, indie rock, post punk, synth pop and everything in-between will descend upon Exeter’s most intimate live music venue every other Wednesday. The founders have found a gap in the market for students and are keen to fill it with something for everyone.

While nights like Thick as Thieves, Exit, and Our House ensure Exeter’s live dance music scene is growing faster than the queue for Cheesy Tuesday’s, there has been a lack of intimate student-focussed live music on a regular basis. But the guys over at KINK promise to redress the balance.

Aiming to combine the aesthetics of student living – cost and strength – KINK will provide student prices for some of the most promising live acts around as well as offering an alternative to Timepiece’s regular Wednesday slot.

KINK have already lined up an impressive array of acts to get your mouth watering and knees trembling. Newcastle based quartet, Mausi, will have the pleasure of popping KINK’s cherry at the launch party on October 9th. Mausi are currently on Radio 1’s September playlist and you can hear their track ‘Move’ here. Wolf Alice, pop rockers from North London, will head up October’s second show on the 23rd and are currently touring with indie stalwarts Swim Deep.

photocredit:lineofbestfit.com

Exeposé Music is undeniably excited by this prospect and has high hopes that this will change Exeter’s music scene for the better, providing a musical pluralism you could previously only dream of.
More details can be found about KINK via its Facebook page or website

Callum Burroughs, Online Music Editor

EXCLUSIVE: Guild rejects Bastille summer gig

Image credit: Derek Harper

The Students’ Guild has declined the opportunity to have Bastille headline a Summer Festival held at the University.

The band’s proposed fee would have made them the highest paid act to have performed at a Guild event in recent years.

A source wishing to remain unnamed told Exeposé that a Guild member asked students if they had any rich family members who could pay off the debt if the event went wrong.

Alongside the group’s fee and rider, Guild staff members estimated infrastructure and logistical costs would mean the total price exceeded £40,000.

President of Birks Grange Village, Caitlin Robbins, originally contacted the band in an attempt to secure an eye-catching act for her vision of a Birks Grange Summer Festival named ‘ExFest 2013.’

Upon receiving an unexpected reply, the possibility of instead using the band in an end of year ball began to be explored. But the Guild felt they could not underwrite such a cost and so turned the offer down on the grounds that further price hikes should not be passed on to students.

In a series of meetings and email correspondences, Robbins and the Birks Grange Committee attempted to persuade the Guild to allow the event to take place.

“Our budget did make it seem unfeasible, but the Guild could have been more supportive in providing a compromising solution,” she said.

“Hall committees have been encouraged to use their initiative and think outside of the box to provide events that students actually want, but when this opportunity came up they (the Guild) didn’t seem interested in being flexible enough to make it happen, even at future events.”

A Guild spokesperson said: “After discussing the necessary requirements and more importantly the associated costs; The Student Guild decided not to pursue it. The Guild proposed innovative methods such as Kickstarter to help get the ball running and underwrite the significant risks that were associated, but ultimately the student committee opted to go down a different route.”

Standard tickets to the Summer Ball at Powderham Castle already cost £43.50, though organisers are promising “international performers and artists.”

Nonetheless the ball appears to be a second choice option for many students, with the Enchanted Garden Ball attracting much attention on social networking sites.

History and maths student Philippa Lane said: “Of the two I would definitely pick the EGB, because it just looks more interesting, so I think the Summer Ball organisers would be making a mistake in not taking Bastille.”

The University has struggled to attract big name acts in recent years, with Tinchy Stryder and Rudimental being the most well known performers on campus since term began.

But hope of seeing Bastille on Streatham has not faded entirely and a Facebook campaign group attempting to reverse the decision has currently attracted around 200 likes.

Harrison Jones, Online News Editor

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