Gross generalisation alert but from what I can gather Student club nights now all seem to have a sneery/ironic twist and seem to revolve around novelty. Music is just a sort of cheesy soundtrack to the Radio1 Roadshow style FUN FUN FUN. The big nights right now are a thing called ‘Ultimate Power’ which seems to be playing horrible 80s Power Ballads and 70s Soft Rock, and ‘Bongos Bingo’ where they play ‘ironic’ Bingo, dance to Vengaboys and all sorts of Millenial larks occur. Peel would be appalled but Wooh Gary Davis and DLT would feel right at home. Nothing new – remember ‘Guilty Pleasures’ and ‘School Disco’. It made me think back to my student days in Liverpool. Freak Scene was the best night. Here’s the playlist – it was early 1990s so kind of a collision of Grunge, Indie/Dance, Crusty Rave, Hip Hop and Industrial beats, very loud and stompy. Of it’s time, but at least it wasn’t cheesy, arch nostalgia. Anyone else got a playlist of their student disco or early dancing days to share?
Student Discos ain’t what they used to be
Now that is what I call a student night out!
I suppose the equivalent club night we had was Magic Roundabout at the Northampton Roadmender. Great tunes, cheap beer, occasionally get to talk to a member of the opposite sex. That sort of thing.
Excellent. I used to go to a night like this at the Hummingbird — or was it the Powerhouse? — in Birmingham. To that playlist I’d have to add Headhunter and Welcome to Paradise by Front 242, as well as any number of New Beat tracks, but especially this one…
There’s a lot of overlap there with the stuff I used to “dance” (OK, lurch around like a wounded elk) to as a student in Coventry at either the Dog and Trumpet (name came from it being under HMV) or Silvers.
I put this together last year when we had a bit of a reunion. The Sinatra track was one of two comedy Time To Go Home Now tracks the DJ used to finish the night with at the D&T, the other being the theme from Rupert the Bear.
Pretty close to my experience.
Maybe add PWEI’s Beaver Patrol, REMs Stand, some Happy Mondays, a dash of Charlatans and the ever ubiquitous Fools Gold (never did like that track).
and selections from The Blues Brothers soundtrack
Yeah loads of crossover there
Acid Rock! – not sure that was played at Freak Scene but an anthem at Indie Dance club nights 89/90
“Student Discos never were what they used to be”, he muttered cryptically.
I had a reunion with a bunch I shared a house with in the early 80s. We’d stayed in touch but not all been together for decades. We laughed till our sides ached, shed a tear or two and it was a hot night in late July so a few quaffables were involved. Back in the day we partied a lot on small or large scale and I put together a playlist of what we used to shake a leg, fall over or pass out to. Here it is for your pleasure.