ARCSOC: Rocking Rococo

Lent term saw Arcsoc being both cutting edge and entirely predictable – just the way we like it. The creativity of the theme, Rococo or 'No Frills Fun' did not disappoint – an architectural movement of the late Baroque period (think Madame Pompadour and a heck ton of lace, gold and you guessed it…frills) . Whilst there was no shortage of makeshift napkin frills, there seemed a lack of dedication to the theme; a disappointing lack of ballgowns and/or head to toe lace.

Dying on the inside because a lacey bralet and a paisley shirt is just not the Marie Antoinette vibe that arcsoc deserves…

Despite the questionable location of Fez, a rogue choice on any night of the week, the red laser lights and random bed sheet hangings created a an atmosphere perfect for some edgy shuffling and bobbing.

Some laser lighting is of course, a necessity but where were the outrageously alternative wall hangings of Walaland?!

Edginess aside, everyone and their mum was loving the music; often the highlight of Arcsoc parties. An undeniable crowd favourite was a particularly fire tune with the catchy hook of "I wanna know whose dick is this". Again, everyone, from seasoned third year attendees to humble freshers (aka me), was belting out such lyricism in perfect harmony (ish).

At the end of the night, reflecting over our cheesy chips, we decided that the concept of being edgy is a wonderful thing. Whilst ridiculed and used derisively, being edgy is what you make of it. Perhaps Arcsoc itself is becoming a contrived version of that, but pretentiousness doesn't have to be inherent to edginess. Architecture is a cool subject, but is it any cooler than other degrees? So, you can build stuff, fair play. But what is genuinely great about the Arcsoc events are the creative themes, the effort gone into making an otherwise ordinary club special and the fact that all proceeds go towards an exhibition of architecture students' projects, which is where they can really showcase the true 'edge' of their creativity.

Single-handedly holding up the edginess of arcsoc

More students from more subjects should be pulling an Arcsoc and attempting to create something bigger through creative events. Think of the possible themes, venues, tunes and outfits – Geographers, Theologians, Mathematicians, Engineers, Historians, HSPSers, Natscis and everyone else has a duty to get their edge on.

That doesn't mean shave your head, get some piercings and throw on a Hawaiian shirt (and there were plenty of those conformist edgy types in attendance) – it means do/wear/create/perform/think/try something different from everyone else. Burn your T-Swizzle albums, cast out your skinny jeans, quit going to the same club night every week, and don't go anywhere near to Starbucks under any circumstances.

A range of emotions whilst deliberating over the future of the edge seeker

Edgy doesn't equate to rocking a bucket hat and having a deep seated love for techno and liquid funk, it can also mean challenging yourself and the societal norms around you in order to grow. And whilst Arcsoc is often lauded for being the definition of edge, it was lacking this time round in terms of commitment. In defence of edgy, I say turn up and get yo edge on; if not, there is always a Wednesday Cindies to go to instead.