On Saturday night I was pleased to see that everyone had made an effort to dress for the occasion; instead of the usual Jesters/Sobar attire, I followed the crowd of guys in crisp suits and girls in pretty dresses, before arriving at Glen Bar for the second day of the Fresher’s Fest – the ball.
It was a good turnout; the music room featuring the warm-up DJ was practically empty, but the bar was clustered with people drinking Glen Bar’s rather strong alcohol. An hour or so later though, groups started to gather on the dance floor in anticipation for the first act, Cassetteboy. In all honesty, considering the announcement of ‘a massive headline act,’ I was expecting some kind of DJ phenomenon, but the reality was rather different.
The big screens behind the acts flashed clips connected to the music in an attempt to add humour, which was exceptionally bizarre yet mildly amusing – one clip turned the queen into a monster – but it was something more suitable for watching on YouTube as opposed to getting your boogie on. Nevertheless, Cassetteboy created a lively atmosphere and the pure wackiness of the set was entertaining.
Festival themed Glen Bar
Next up was Radio 1 Xtra big name, Trevor Nelson. Although he played some decent music, it wasn’t anything special and his attempts to get the crowd going were rather generic. I couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed after such hype about the set. I also think that if there had been more variety between acts, Trevor would have been more appreciated.
As for the extras, there was a photo booth to capture the memories of one of the last nights of fresher celebrations but no sign of the promised chocolate fountain (trust me, I checked). The burger van outside made up for it, though; the foot long hot dogs beat Portswood kebabs any day!
All in all, the night was enjoyable. The music, atmosphere and drink prices were great, and it was clear the event had been well-organised by the JCR.
