By Simon Wright – Follow
me on Twitter @Siwri88
As the second
anniversary arrives which signalled the end of my education life and the finale
to my journalism degree at the University of Northampton, I have decided to
share my own personal experiences from my three years at UoN. This includes a
look into how good is the University in general, a critical assessment of the
video products I produced and what happened after graduation.
The next article looks
at the entertainment levels out of hours. By going to University, you are committing
yourself to three years of hard work, but also – enjoy yourself on occasion.
The nightlife experience sees me talk about some of the nights, the venues and
the stories behind student life when the sun sets.
When you
decide to go to University, you know it is going to be one of the most
enjoyable and demanding three-year experiences of your lifetime. There are many
aspects to Uni. There is the workload, the deadlines, the relationships with
your peers, your colleagues and your flatmates and of course, the nightlife.
I heard some
good things about nightlife activities in Northampton before I went to UoN in
2009 and you know the saying; ‘All work and no play makes Simon a very dull
lad!’ Was the nightlife experience disappointing or would it meet expectations?
This latest piece to mark the second anniversary of finishing my journalism degree
looks at the action, the dancing and some of the stories from three years out
on the town.
Immediate change
Whilst I was
never going to be one of those students who would go out and get hammered every
single night, I wanted to enjoy Uni nightlife. It was important to keep a
professional approach to most parts of my personality, but this was a good
chance to integrate myself in a different and slightly more relaxed
environment. That changed pretty quickly, before I had even begun on the
course.
In July 2009,
an incident occurred in my hometown that changed my look on the nightlife scene
completely. This is something I will talk about a bit more in July in a piece
for this website. What it did mean though was that caution took over rather
than risk and my presence on the clubbing scene became more of an occasional
visit rather than a frequent occurrence.
Nevertheless I
had to go with the flow and Freshers Week was just that. First night I arrived
in Northampton and we had drinks as a flat as I socialised with my flat
colleagues from first year. All of the other members of Flat 35 were
easy-going, likeable and easy to get along with. Two nights later, it ended in
a trip to the first Northampton nightclub I would visit, Lava: Ignite.
From when I
stepped into the place, I never felt totally comfortable. The main area was
packed with Freshers as expected, but space was minimal and the environment in
general just didn’t have the feel of a club that could offer a good time. I
only went back once more in the next year and the place was eventually closed
down after a tragic crush when people were leaving the club in October 2011
which led to the death of two students, one from the University of Northampton.
I don’t think it is heavily missed by many.
I quickly
preferred a trip to the SU bar on Avenue Campus, which was a two-minute walk
from my flat. In fact, we often went as a flat group, or three or four of us to
get the drinks in and spend a few hours keeping the pool table busy. It was
enjoyable and a far friendlier, preferred environment.
A large gap
The clubbing
days looked like there were over as soon as they had begun. I quickly settled
into a pattern. Sure it might have made me a bit bland to say the least but I
cared about my degree and I’d rather be keeping assignments on track than
entertaining the opposite sex.
The only time
I properly ventured out was a trip to the NB’s Sports Bar and Club in February
2010 which was a birthday party for one of my closest journalism colleagues.
That night was really good. I vaguely remember having a couple of Black Russian
cocktails that were nice at the time, but left me feeling the effects
afterwards. I then decided that cocktails were not for me!
There were
trips to some of the local pubs in Northampton like O’Neill’s, Pennywhistle and
the White Elephant, as well as visits to the SU bar in second year but having
not liked Lava or Embargo nightclubs and finding Haikkadou’s club to be just
plain weird, I didn’t think any club would be able to overtake my experiences
of Opus and Oceania in my hometown of Milton Keynes.
I was about
to find my place though, Balestra.
New club, new group
Having moved
into my own accommodation in second year, I wouldn’t say there was a group
where I reckoned I could go out on the town with and have a load of fun. That
changed at the end of that semester.
As a
journalism group, we had usually been of the distant type. There were close
friendship circles and other eccentric characters. However we seemed to get
closer as second year continued, as it became clear that whilst you were an
individual, there was also a team bond forming. This became quite important
when communication levels dropped between lecturers and students in second year
and servers with important work on them kept malfunctioning and crashing.
So to
celebrate the final ever exam the majority of us had to sit in mid-May 2011, we
all decided to hit the town, meeting in various locations around Northampton
before coming together as one big group in the Balestra nightclub. The venue
had only opened in the early few weeks of second year and Thursday nights
seemed to be the most popular with students from UoN. It isn’t the biggest
place but I found it very refreshing and a place where you are more than likely
to have a good time. Many pictures were taken (one pictured below), drinks were had, dancing took
place and it was so nice to be out as a journalism group and all enjoy it.
.jpg) |
| Me, Farida, Tamika and Nicole posing for one of many photos on a journo night out in 2011 |
I have plenty
of memories of the UoN experience and this particular night was one of the best
moments. It was so good, a similar routine happened the following week when
second year officially drew to a close. Whilst it wouldn’t end up being the
norm, it was a cracking fortnight of entertainment.
One final goodbye
Third year
wasn’t about enjoying the nightlife. It did start with a repeat performance in
Balestra three days after my 23rd birthday. Not as many turned out,
as there had been a delay in student finance payments but it was another super
evening. A planned Christmas night out went a bit sour as the adverse weather
conditions of December 2011 put a spanner in those works.
However,
there had to be one final goodbye. The final day of the journalism degree was
Wednesday, 16 May 2012. Not as much organising was needed. In fact, there was
no initial plan on the day itself. A few of us decided to have pre-drinks at
one of the student houses, then get a taxi into town for a night at NB’s. It
was the first time I had been back to this place in over two years.
I remember
getting out of the cab and one of my friends saying; “Are you planning to get drunk
tonight?” My response was; “Yes I plan to have plenty of drinks and
some dancing, but I do want to remember getting into a taxi in the early hours
of the morning.”
It was
another stunning evening. I remember being a bit of an ace on the dancefloor,
although I have no plans to make a future appearance on Strictly Come Dancing!
It was the final farewell to the people who I had shared my life with on a
daily basis for the past three years and we went out with a bang! Not quite
literally of course, but it couldn’t have ended any other way.
There was one
final occasion and that was the end of year graduation ball at The Wing pits
and paddock complex at Silverstone, the home of British motorsport. I was a bit
reluctant to go at first; wary of the steep price for a ticket, even without
having a meal there (which is something I wasn’t keen on). I eventually took
the plunge, firmly in the knowledge that it was a great chance to dress up for
the occasion. I never thought I would look smart in a suit and tie, but
apparently I did. The evening went through without a hitch, apart from Rizzle
Kicks backing out from performing at the last moment. Thankfully, Professor
Green stepped in and did a good job without too much planning.
The nightlife
experience at the University of Northampton had its moments and there were
times where it wasn’t enjoyed. However, I had some good times away from the
pressures of lectures and studying and wouldn’t swap any of it. My message to
future University students is to find a decent balance between work and fun but
enjoy the nightlife aspect. University only happens once, so live it and
embrace it.
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