Emma June Event

HARRY SHUKMAN feels the Emma June Event was a little bit lacking.

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Emma June Event

Illusion

17th June 2012, £65

The Daily Mail would hate this, but May Balls do spoil you. At any of the Balls and June Events this may week, certain things become standard.

Chilled bubbly, interesting food and exciting cocktails all become normal. That means when they’re not done properly, you’re bound to be disappointed.

Unfortunately for me, Illusion at Emma was just that.

The night started with an hour in an excessively bum-out queue to get inside. The North Court brass band started and finished playing before we even got close. It made us feel like pre-Chocolate Factory Charlie watching the other kids eating sweets from the outside, desperate to get in.

On entry we kicked off with a much needed glass of cava and a plate of curly fries. Not bad. Walking into the Paddock we were again put off by more aggressively long queues for handmade pizza and fairly unexciting burgers.

The evening did seem to suffer from waiting in lines. We queued for an age to get vodka and Pussy, only to remember that Pussy tastes like ass. VKs and jelly shots in the college bar soon filled the hole that Pussy left in my life, although they’re not that special for a June Event.

It’s understandable that this wasn’t a full-on ball, but that’s no excuse for long lines and bad booze.

Having toured the food and drink, it was time for the main act tent. Headliners Picture Book made the night. The electronic dance duo pumped up the crowd, helped by their glow sticks and cardboard cutouts of their own faces. Whatever works.

Other highlights included a bizarre drag make-your-own song act called Pop Kraft. It was all very sexy and fun, but we were drawn away by the Cambridge Salsa Team and Silent Disco in the Upper Hall.

The main problem I felt was that there was little coherence to the event, which made the atmosphere suffer somewhat. Huge open spaces had little in them but a few stands, with absurd numbers of bored students waiting at them.

While at great June Events and May Balls, the question everyone asks is ‘what should we do next?’ at Emma we asked each other ‘what is there to do next?’

But a June Event is what you make of it, and we were resolved to have some classic organized fun. I left happy when the event closed at 3am, but felt that the occasion lacked anything to make it really stellar. Having forked out 65 quid for Illusion at Emma, I was expecting a bit more than VKs and vodka mixers.

Then again, I could just be a young scion; a drunken reveller; an unsavoury student following elitist style and spoilt rotten by May Balls to find this June Event as fun.

Food and Drink:

[rating:2/5]

Wow Factor:

[rating:2/5]

Value for Money:

[rating:3/5]

Star Attraction: Picture Book

Biggest Turn-Off: Long queue time