By Rían Cahill

Blinding lights flashed, and the floor pumped with heavy kicks as I moved through the sea of awkward elbows to the bar at the back of the crowd. €3 for a shot or add a dash for €3.50. I was in it now; the defining factors of a Dublin student night stared me in the face as I watched cliques and crowds shift their feet and scream loudly over the music. Hands high in the air swung slightly out of sync with the music, highlighting inexperienced party goers. 

“Loose Ends”, a brand-new student focused club night launched on Thursday in an effort to nurture a much-needed expansion in the growing dance music scene. Youth-friendly pricing has been at the forefront of their approach to create a hub for young people to experience their introduction to dance music or to encourage existing interests.  

Jack Larkin, a student DJ who played at the club told me, “It’s great that college DJs are being given this chance and to contribute to many people’s introduction to the electronic music scene in Dublin”  

Cheap tickets and effective drink deals have been put in place to create a valid alternative to their Harcourt Street competition, who can often afford to reduce prices to entice students. 

Launched and facilitated by the country’s leading party starters, Index, Loose Ends have vowed to create a space “built for students” according to their Instagram account. Aiming to give both students a cheaper dance music-oriented student night out and student DJs a chance to cut their teeth on one of Dublin’s most desirable venues. 

Student DJs have always found a home in the city though. Small and intimate venues have laid host to the growth of countless Irish artists over the years and this brash claim that “Dublin’s midweek student night out has been dominated by overpriced, tacky dancefloors”, comes as a slap in the face for many promoters who have been fighting for this cause long before this new endeavour by the country’s leading promoters. 

Carefully curated lineups that cater to different tastes and genres throughout the year are a staple of Echo Exchange, another student focused event in the city, who have been running student nights every Tuesday since January. Constant variety in lineups catering to everyone’s interests has created a surprisingly tight-knit community which often fills up the back-alley smoking area with talks of music, dancing, friendships and much more. 

Michael Wilson, co-founder of echo exchange, told me why he started his weekly event “We started this to create a cheaper alternative to the current midweek student nights while also delivering quality music. We hoped that that combination might educate some newcomers about quality dance music along the way” 

With the number of clubs which have closed down in the city over the past 10 years, there has been an ongoing struggle for students to reach an ever-increasing price point. Venues that take the hit to facilitate regular student nights are often dependent on a large attendance rate on a regular basis to ensure the survival of their club. The introduction of another midweek club night, especially one in a venue which has the potential to cater to over 700 people with two rooms on a good night, may just be the competition necessary for many clubs to fold. 

A common theme amongst the younger Abbey Street crowd was the focus on non-music-oriented discussions. Compared to the Dame Street punters who seemed to obsess over subgenres, categories and equipment, the crowd seemed blissfully unaware of any complexities in the music and were happy to just dance until the lights came on. This disparity creates a sort of safety net for both events as they will likely not have to share one demographic. 

Although venues are closing and prices are increasing, students will always find a way to go out on the town whether they can afford it or not. The presence of one more student night then creates diversity in the events which they can choose from, creating communities around the city for different musical interests.