Freshers Week

[RandomMusings]

Quoting scotlandposse2010 from 15:05, 5th Sep 2008
Hmm, looks like the lineup is refreshingly new..BUT

As a DJ who works in the union I'm disappointed to see the BOP being labeled as the only time and place for cheese. I worked so hard this past year to try to make the Bop less cheesy and more club-sounding, and by the end of the year we'd been getting some great feedback.
Now the Bop is being branded as a cheese-fest again, which ruins the image that a few of us Bop DJs had tried to create this year.



SHAME!

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It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

ScotlandPosse - Please do try not to make comments such as this before the year has started. There has to be 'some' cheese in Fresher's Week or else it wouldn't be the same. We know how much effort went into changing things last year and it kinda worked.
The thing about The Bop, in my opinion, is variety - and a little cheese, now and again, especially in a week with lots of dance etc music, can be stomached, surely?
I'm sure normal service will be resumed in the bops as the year starts properly. Give things time mate.

[hr]

? The humble question mark?
? So much mightier than the sword?

[johnjohnjohn]

Quoting scotlandposse2010 from 15:05, 5th Sep 2008
Hmm, looks like the lineup is refreshingly new..BUT

As a DJ who works in the union I'm disappointed to see the BOP being labeled as the only time and place for cheese. I worked so hard this past year to try to make the Bop less cheesy and more club-sounding, and by the end of the year we'd been getting some great feedback.
Now the Bop is being branded as a cheese-fest again, which ruins the image that a few of us Bop DJs had tried to create this year.



SHAME!

So it was you and your kind that ruined the Bop this year!?

I'm sorry but Venue One is terribly outdated, and will never really suit anything more than a cheesy night of music for me (and many people I know) A tiny bar, horrible seating, no design at all, video screens used once a year...

It's not a proper nightclub, and I wish people would stop trying to make it one. If you're really that bothered about "proper" music then there's a bus to Dundee every Wednesday.

And I really don't see the point in trying to make Fresher's Week less cheesy. The freshers will be more bothered about making friends and having a good time that what's playing in the background - and how better to get to know someone than to make a complete t*ts of yourselves both singing along to some good old fashioned rubbish music?

Coming to the end of my university years I like the fact that there are 4 or 5 songs that remind me of good times in the Bop on a Friday night, I doubt I would have that if my early Bops consisted of the latest "proper" music.

People, stop trying to turn St Andrews into everywhere else and let it be what it is.

[James.C.]

Everyone has their own taste in music obviously, but i would rather listen to the lastest stuff than hear "the final countdown" for the #th bop in a row

[johnjohnjohn]

OK sorry I wasn't that clear, I simply meant don't turn it into a techno rave. I've got no problem with the latest music, as long as it's in keeping with what I think the Bop should be about.

[Animal]

Oh John, John, John.

It's a shame you feel that way. I'm not sure why you think that it won't suit anything more than a cheesy night of music (or even a night of cheesy music). If the lack of design prevents Venue1 from becoming a 'proper' nightclub, how does it differ from the various marquees and festival tents that have hosted raves and parties over the past several years?

The Bop is still going to remain a little cheesy for your last year at uni, so you (and everyone else) will still have the Freshers' week Bop to remind you of good times on a Friday night.

And I'm sure I've seen the video screens being used throughout the whole year.

Anyway, I don't think anyone's trying to "make it into a proper nightclub" - they're just trying to provide people with a variety of music throughout the week. And not everyone can afford to travel to Dundee every week (hell, not everyone WANTS to go to Dundee, let alone every week).

St Andrews will always be what it is. The people will change.

And as for your last statement, it smacks a little of a Daily Mail reader... "I like it as long as it's what I like, and what I expect it to be like".

PS - don't go on holiday abroad. They're mostly foreign.

[TheoGirl]

as a fresher, i have to say i'd prefer cheesy music for freshers week because i wana be able to scream the lyrics along with new friends. i mean in subsequent bops when ive made some friends play whatever, but i think cheesy music is music everyone knows and can sing and dance to.

[creepy old man]

That person had a point though. People should know before they come to study in St Andrews that it's not a great place for clubbing and big nights out like you'd get in a city. It's a bit nerdier and more behind the times than most places I've been to, and that's one of its charms. Every time I hear someone complain that St Andrews needs a proper club it makes me wonder why they came here in the first place.

I never went to any of the bops last year because my experience the year before was that the same songs would be played every week, many of them undanceable ones like Nirvana and whatnot. Like other people have said, I think it's good that people have been trying to mix things up a bit, but what makes the bop truly memorable is indeed the cheesy music you thought in 1995 that you'd never hear again.

[munchingfoo]

Quoting RandomMusings from 15:32, 5th Sep 2008
ScotlandPosse - Please do try not to make comments such as this before the year has started.

I think his comments are perfectly valid. They express mostly a personal opinion which he is more than entitled to do.

There has to be 'some' cheese in Fresher's Week or else it wouldn't be the same.

Perhaps keeping things the same is wrong. Infact, i'll go out on a limb and tell you that keeping things the same is undoubtadly the worst decision that any promoter can make. If people wanted things to be the same we wouldn't need promoters at all and there'd only be one type of entertainment anywhere.

Freshers week shouldn't about your nostalgia. It should be about creating future nostalgia for the coming first years, and sometimes that might mean doing something completely different.

P.S. - Please note that I am not saying I agree with ScotPosse, nor am I suggesting that change needs to happen all the time. II am just stating the truths on the matter and you can do with them what you will.

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"The entirety of these definitions lie outside the gamut of the sRGB color space — such a pure color cannot be represented using RGB primaries. The color swatch to the right is a desaturated approximation, created by taking the centroid of the standard definition and moving it towards the D65 white point, until it meets the sRGB gamut triangle."

[RandomMusings]

Quoting munchingfoo from 04:54, 10th Sep 2008

Quoting RandomMusings from 15:32, 5th Sep 2008
ScotlandPosse - Please do try not to make comments such as this before the year has started.

I think his comments are perfectly valid. They express mostly a personal opinion which he is more than entitled to do.

I wondered who would be first to pick up on this. I am friends with ScotlandPosse and was merely trying to point out that he should give things a chance before expressing negative opinions. The same goes for everyone/everything in my opinion - slag things off after you've tried it (if you can), rather than just going by the description... just my opinion, mind.

There has to be 'some' cheese in Fresher's Week or else it wouldn't be the same.

I think you mistake my meaning of 'the same'. I do not mean make everything exactly as it is in terms of production. What I am actually trying to say is it might not evoke similar feelings and emotions - allowing people to make friends easier. Why not keep some cheese on just one night - the rest of the line up is definitely not cheese.


And to those people commenting on Venue 1. The video screens are used pretty much EVERY WEEK, usually on both the Tuesday AND Friday - the only time we might not use them is when theatre has been in as it takes too long to set them up in such a short turn-round.
Also, try to give venue 1 a chance. We know it is not the ideal venue, but we try our best with what we have. Remember the Island bop last year and how different the venue looked because of it? Remember the final bop of the year where we made the place look substantially different? The new DOES has lots more ideas for throughout the year, so lets see how it goes. The only thing we'd like now is more volunteers!

[hr]

? The humble question mark?
? So much mightier than the sword?

[johnjohnjohn]

Quoting animal from 01:34, 10th Sep 2008
Oh John, John, John.

It's a shame you feel that way. I'm not sure why you think that it won't suit anything more than a cheesy night of music (or even a night of cheesy music). If the lack of design prevents Venue1 from becoming a 'proper' nightclub, how does it differ from the various marquees and festival tents that have hosted raves and parties over the past several years?

The Bop is still going to remain a little cheesy for your last year at uni, so you (and everyone else) will still have the Freshers' week Bop to remind you of good times on a Friday night.

And I'm sure I've seen the video screens being used throughout the whole year.

Anyway, I don't think anyone's trying to "make it into a proper nightclub" - they're just trying to provide people with a variety of music throughout the week. And not everyone can afford to travel to Dundee every week (hell, not everyone WANTS to go to Dundee, let alone every week).

St Andrews will always be what it is. The people will change.

And as for your last statement, it smacks a little of a Daily Mail reader... "I like it as long as it's what I like, and what I expect it to be like".

PS - don't go on holiday abroad. They're mostly foreign.

My point was that Venue One and the Bop as they are now, don't really suit anything other than a bit of recent music and cheese, without some effort put into the overall appearance of the place.

Yes, the video screens are used, occasionally. However I think my point is somewhat justified when the first Sunday night in our Fresher's week is being advertised by the use of these video screens and a few "VJs". It's like advertising the fact that a Pub will have alcohol. I'd probably guess that most other unions have something similar to this going on all the time. Anyway this was far from my main point.

The marquees and festival tents are exactly that, tents, temporary by nature. They're not left there constantly, they change, move location, alter layout. Venue One has been the same for the past four years, probably more, and it's in desperate need of something.

The Bop will only really 'change' if some proper effort and money are thrown at Venue One. A half-arsed attempt will just destroy the cult following it currently holds. I'm not saying the Bop DJ's have made a half-arsed attempt, they've done what they can, fully-arsed I assume.

Generally a normal nightclub in a city will have a shelf-life of a few years, before people get bored and find somewhere new, then the owner is forced renovate or sell up, allowing someone new to renovate. Then people flock to see this amazing 'new' venue.

St Andrews has no other alternative venue, so this doesn't happen, there's no incentive. I wouldn't mind as much if I wasn't being charged £4 for the privilege of dancing in it. I generally don't mind, but you won't change the perception of the Bop by changing the playlist on iTunes.

If you're really trying to give people different music throughout the week, then make it obvious, advertise it, have specific nights for specific things. Change the layout a little, decorate it with something different for each of these nights. I don't know, I don't run nightclubs, but the SA does.

I just wish the Student's Association would make a bit of effort to attract a student's custom, instead of assuming that everyone will flock there because of the late licence they hold.

Oh, and I'm amazed that you can assess my apparent xenophobia and choice of reading material from one post about my opinion of the Bop.



Anyway, I prefer the Sun, they have a better Page 3 [img]littleicons/wink.gif[/img]

[orudge]

Quoting johnjohnjohn from 21:27, 10th Sep 2008
Yes, the video screens are used, occasionally.

As far as I'm aware, they're generally used every week, particularly at the Friday bops. Their use on Tuesdays may not have been so consistent, mainly because we've often had theatre in Venue 1 on Tuesdays in the past, and simply didn't have time to set up the screens.

However I think my point is somewhat justified when the first Sunday night in our Fresher's week is being advertised by the use of these video screens and a few "VJs".

Well, the freshers week event will have proper "VJs" operating the screens, and should be something quite exciting and different. It's being advertised as a selling point, yes, but that doesn't mean that it's not there normally, just that it'll be a bit more special than usual.

The marquees and festival tents are exactly that, tents, temporary by nature. They're not left there constantly, they change, move location, alter layout. Venue One has been the same for the past four years, probably more, and it's in desperate need of something.

One of the main things you need to remember is that Venue 1 is a multipurpose venue. This does mean it has limitations on just how much can be "tweaked" to benefit any particular use, whether it's the bop/club nights, theatre, band nights, etc. Venue 1 has to be flexible enough to handle all of these, which does mean that it's not always as good as it could be foe each use. However, the Ents crew and everyone else involved in running the events do try, particularly for the likes of freshers week and rag week, to make Venue 1 look as good as possible, despite the constraints of the venue.

As Phil says, we have a new DoES who is already shaking things up a bit, and will no doubt have lots of new ideas for the year, so let's wait and see what he does.

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[careba2010]

I have never heard of any of the acts on the schedule apart from maybe some of the comics. The good thing about freshers weeks past is that you have a couple of big names whether it be a Radio 1 DJ (Scott Mills, Reggie Yates, and Colin Murray, although the latter was at the May Ball) or a nineties act such as Gina G it gets people talking and wanting to go and see the DJ/Star they have grown up hearing.


The other thing is that by choosing someone from Radio 1 etcetra you are opening it up to as many people as possible as it is mainstream. Surely the time for big dance acts is Starfields or later in the term when people are settled down? I made so many friends at the Radio 1 DJ events as everyone just sang along to the lyrics together.

But we will wait and see what happens this year. I would just like to add at this instance "If it aint broke dont fix it!" as I dont think there was anything wrong with freshers

[Duggeh]

I HOLD NO STRONG VIEWS ABOUT ALL OF THIS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER.

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IMAGE:www.thismanwillkillyou.com/avatars/tb3-100.jpg
Duggeh: Master Of Ceremonies

[usefulinfo]

Careba2010, clearly you know nothing about the financial position of the Union at the minute.

If it ain't broke don't fix it? Freshers week for the last god knows how many years has been the same- the Union should at least try a different format to see whether this would bring in more cash.

I know for a fact that big 'names' cost big money and half the time they aren't worth the fee they set.

[schmod]

Having told some friends (and people in the event industry) about the number and range of events we hold in Venue 1, people are generally quite impressed with the fact that we're able to do it at all, let alone with a volunteer crew of full-time students.

Last year, we hosted a pretty eclectic mix of events. My favorites were the Silent Bop, and the boxing night.

Sure, the venue needs a lot of work, and could be better in many ways. We're working on it. There's only so much we can do with the tiny budget that we have, especially when most of the crew have their degrees to worry about.

[James.C.]

Yeah i have to agree there, we have had radio 1 DJ's in the past and they have generally been very poor.

[kate_m]

Its just such a shame that anyone who is not a fan of dance music will have nothing except the comedy and the ceilidh to go to this year. I'm all for changing the lineup of freshers week, but throughout the week there should be a variety, something to suit most tastes. Obviously you can never please everybody, but at least try to please somebody, other than dance music fanatics.
Just to clarify, I also dont necessarily mean we need big names either, just a variety of different things, as opposed to what we have this year, practically the same, or at least very slight variations on the same theme.

[Oli]

But there is variety.

There are different styles of music throughout the week, with the opening party "bubble" featuring the uplifting sing-along classics with a few euphoric dance tunes in and amongst.

Visualise won't be solely dance music - there will be huge variety of music videos from all genres

experience: WHITE, Cagedbaby Unleashed and experience: BLACK will be predominantly dance

The Bop will feature all your favourites (cheese, dance, RnB - the works)

Saturday will have live music (check the website for more details as soon as it's confirmed) - www.yourunion.net/2008

And Sunday's Ceilidh will round off the week with a completely different style of music (and dancing).

So plenty of variety - definitely something for everyone to enjoy. For those wanting something a little more hardcore, keep an eye out for publicity from Musfund, Rocksoc, Altsoc, Ravesoc and CWFsoc*.


Previous years have shown that although bigger names do attract more hype and more attention, they don't always perform to the same level as the lesser known acts, although they do cost a heck of a lot more, and most people don't see any extra value for the extra cost. (All the events this week are less than £6, whereas previous years' events have been as costly as £11).

[s]*Country & Western and Folk Society doesn't yet exist, but if you can find 20 or more like minded people who would like to form such a society, get in touch with Philippa (Director of Student Development and Activities) at dosda@
[/s]

[threekings]

this is totally different to years gone by:

WHERE IS MIDORI NIGHT?
WHERE IS THE SHIT ARSE HYPNOTIST NIGHT?
WHERE IS THE HALF DECENT BAND NIGHT?
WHERE IS THE BANTER DJ NIGHT?

that was what freshers was all about when we were destroying venue 1 - times have changed.

[Hennessy]

I honestly don't give a fook about what kind of music is on, tbh. Most freshers won't care either, they'll be that tanked for most of it. So what's the fuss? Seems to me most of the complaints about freshers week are coming from crabby old-timers with a chip on their (collective) shoulder. It's never going to be identical to your first experience of fresher's week, and a bloody good thing too, cos I was getting a bit sick of Russell Kane and Cotton Eye Joe.

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